Project Duration
August 2021 – August 2026
Description
With the support of JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Aspen Institute, and UP Partnership, and with supplemental support for dissemination provided by William Stamps Farish Fund, the Ray Marshall Center will study the pathways taken by Opportunity Youth in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. This five-year grant, also known as Evaluating Services for Texas Opportunity Youth (ESTOY), represents one of the largest efforts undertaken in Texas to date to study the systems that serve, and the trajectories taken by, disconnected young adults (between the ages of 18 and 24 who are neither enrolled in school nor working) after participation in a youth-serving program. The study aims to determine the size of the OY population in each of these cities, as well as measure programmatic impact in terms of employment and/or enrollment in postsecondary education. In addition to providing a clearer picture of the OY landscape, it is our expectation that the study findings will inform OY policy for the state.
