Escalating gains: The elements of Project QUEST’s success
Roder, A., & Elliott, M. (2018). Economic Mobility Corporation.
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examining343Students, gradePS
Project QUEST Intervention Report - Postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) Interventions
Review Details
Reviewed: August 2021
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Additional source not reviewed (View primary source).
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Project QUEST.
Findings
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Study sample characteristics were not reported.Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: March 2021
- Practice Guide (findings for QUEST)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Earned a vocational certificate or license 6 years post randomization |
QUEST vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
72.60 |
49.10 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Average Total Earnings Year 3 (quarters 8-11) |
QUEST vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Full sample;
|
24818.00 |
20773.00 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Employed year-round three years post intervention |
QUEST vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Full sample;
|
66.60 |
59.20 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Employed any time during the 5th year post random assignment. |
QUEST vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Full sample;
|
87.00 |
83.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Earned a college degree |
QUEST vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
18.20 |
26.30 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Average Total Earnings - Year 1 |
QUEST vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
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18194.00 |
15908.00 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Employed year-round one year post the intervention |
QUEST vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
|
48.20 |
55.00 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Employed any time during the 3rd year post random assignment |
QUEST vs. Business as usual |
1 Year |
Full sample;
|
85.00 |
87.00 |
No |
-- | ||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 90%
Male: 11% -
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Texas
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Race Black 13% Other or unknown 74% White 10% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 74% Not Hispanic or Latino 26%
Study Details
Setting
QUEST provided support and resources to students who had completed a high school diploma or equivalent, or for students who have earned a college degree in a different field. The program serves job seekers in the San Antonio, Texas area. The job seekers had to intend to enroll in vocational school or other similar health career programs (I.e., nursing, medical records coding, or technician programs).
Study sample
At program entry, 89.5% of participants were female. 74.3% were Latino, 13.1% were African American, and 9.6% were White. 29.4% of participants were aged 18 to 24, 44.9% were 25 to 34, and 25.7% were 35 to 64. 72.0% of participants had any children under age 18. 29.4% of participants were married, 26.2% were separated/divorced/widowed, and 44.3% were never married. The highest degree earned for 24.8% was a GED, 70.6% was a high school diploma, and 4.7% was a college degree. 46.4% of participants attended college but did not earn a degree. 20.1% had any health-care certificates or licenses. 84.4% of participants had been employed at any time during the past year, 41.5% were employed during all 12 months of the past year, and the average annual earnings of all participants in the past year were $11,387.
Intervention Group
QUEST provides several support services aimed at helping individuals to 1) complete training programs at community colleges and professional training institutes, 2) pass certification exams, and 3) secure relevant employment. Participants received financial assistance to cover tuition, fees, books, transportation, uniforms, licensing exam fees, and tutoring. They received remedial instruction to improve math and reading skills to pass college placement tests. They received counseling to address personal and academic concerns, provide motivation and emotional support, and were referred to other agencies for assistance with utility bills, child care, food, and other services as needed. Participants were invited to weekly meetings that focused on life skills, including time management, study skills, critical thinking, and conflict resolution. Attendance was required at these meetings continue receiving support. They also received job placement assistance, including help with writing resumes and interviewing, and they received referrals to employers that were hiring.
Comparison Group
The comparison condition was business as usual. Comparison participants did not receive any of the benefits of the QUEST program, but they were told that they could enroll in training programs or college, or they could find jobs on their own.
Support for implementation
Additional Sources
In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.
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Roder, A., & Elliott, M. (2019). Nine year gains: Project QUEST’s continuing impact. Economic Mobility Corporation. Retrieved from https://economicmobilitycorp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NineYearGains_web.pdf
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Elliott, M., & Roder, A. (2017). Escalating gains: Project QUEST’s sectoral strategy pays off. Economic Mobility Corporation. https://economicmobilitycorp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Escalating-Gains_WEB.pdf
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).