Linking Learning to Careers Demonstration: Impacts 24 Months after Enrollment
Sevak, Purvi; Feeney, Kathleen; Honeycutt, Todd; Peterson, Emily (2021). Mathematica. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED614751
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examining803Students, grades9-12
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: February 2024
- Practice Guide (findings for Linking Learning to Careers (LLC) program)
- 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
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
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Ever enrolled in postsecondary education |
Linking Learning to Careers (LLC) program vs. Business as usual |
-9 Months |
Full sample;
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30.60 |
22.40 |
Yes |
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|
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Ever enrolled at a postsecondary education institution, other than Community College of Vermont |
Linking Learning to Careers (LLC) program vs. Business as usual |
-9 Months |
Full sample;
|
13.60 |
11.30 |
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: 39%
Male: 61% -
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Vermont
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Race Black 5% Other or unknown 2% White 93% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 6% Not Hispanic or Latino 94% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Free or reduced price lunch (FRPL) 52% No FRPL 48%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place across 12 Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) districts in Vermont.
Study sample
The researchers randomly assigned 413 students to the intervention group and 390 students to the comparison group, for a total of 803 students. The study included students that were in grades 9 through 12 at the time of study enrollment. Only students with disabilities who were already receiving DVR services were eligible to participate in the study. Approximately 61% of the students were male, 52% were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 82% had an Individual Education Plan, and 15% had a 504 plan. Approximately 93% were White, 5% were Black, and 2% did not report race. About 6% were Hispanic or Latino, and 94% were non-Hispanic or Latino.
Intervention Group
The Linking Learning to Careers (LLC) program provides high school students with disabilities individualized support to plan for their future, including assistance with college enrollment and employment. The program builds on the usual services provided to high school students by the Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to include three unpaid and paid work-based learning experiences (WBLEs) in integrated environments, college exploration and coursework opportunities at the Community College of Vermont, team-based guidance and support from DVR staff, dedicated support for assistive technology, and additional transportation funding. LLC students could use other preemployment transition services, along with services provided by LLC. The length of the program is 51 months.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received business-as-usual vocational rehabilitation transition services, including those from the DVR. This included preemployment transition services, career and training services, transportation, assistive technology, and financial education counseling, other non-LLC planning tools, and vouchers to cover the tuition for two college courses worth up to four credits each at participating institutions.
Support for implementation
There was additional support from DVR funded transition counselors, career consultants, and youth employment specialists to implement the LLC program.
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).