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Reengaging High School Dropouts – Early Results of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program Evaluation

High school dropouts face daunting odds of success in a labor market that increasingly rewards
education and skills.

This report presents very early results from a rigorous, independent
evaluation of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, an intensive residential program
that aims to “reclaim the lives” of young people ages 16 to 18 who have dropped out of school.

ChalleNGe currently operates in more than half the states. About 75,000 young people have
completed the program since the early 1990s. MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research
organization, is conducting the evaluation, along with the MacArthur Foundation’s Research
Network on Transitions to Adulthood. Private foundations and the U.S. Department of Defense
are funding the evaluation.

The 17-month ChalleNGe program is divided into three phases: Pre-ChalleNGe, which is a
two-week orientation and assessment period; a 20-week Residential Phase built around eight
core components designed to promote positive youth development; and a one-year Postresidential
Phase featuring a structured mentoring program. During the first two phases, participants
in the program live at the program site, often on a military base. The environment is
described as “quasi-military,” though there are no requirements for military service.

The evaluation uses a random assignment research design. Because there were more qualified
applicants than slots, a lottery-like process was used to decide which applicants were admitted
to the program. The young people who were admitted (the program group) are being compared
over time with those who were not admitted (the control group); any significant differences that
emerge between the groups can be attributed to ChalleNGe. About 3,000 young people entered
the study in 10 ChalleNGe programs in 2005-2006.

Dan Bloom
Alissa Gardenhire-Crooks
Conrad Mandsager

Full Report: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/512/full.pdf?mc_cid=e5be914164&mc_eid=dfa0607b67

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