Principal Investigators: | Christopher T. King, PhD and Tara Smith, MPA |
Sponsor: | TG Public Benefit Program |
Research Partners: | E3 Alliance |
Project Duration: | October 2011 – August 2012 |
Description: | In partnership with E3 Alliance, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is participating in the Central Texas College Access and Persistence Program Evaluation. The evaluation seeks to increase regional capacity to provide critical and effective support to traditionally underrepresented college students to help ensure that they enter college and persist in their studies through completion. The project has two primary goals: 1) to increase Austin College Access Network (ACAN) member awareness of the nature and breadth of college access and persistence services offered in Central Texas and identify service gaps; and 2) to increase the capacity of ACAN member organizations for program evaluation and continuous improvement activities.
Under the project, RMC will:
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Reports Available: | Central Texas College Access and Persistence Program Evaluation: Outcomes and Impacts Summary Report Authors: Tara Smith and Greg Cumpton Date: January 2013 Publication Type: Report, 72pp.Initial Evaluation Findings: Central Texas College Access and Persistence Programs Authors: Tara Smith and Greg Cumpton Date: May 31, 2012 Publication Type: Report, 47pp. Information Brief: Common Definitions The Ray Marshall Center’s 2010-2011 project with the Austin College Access Network, as well as available reports, are accessible via this link: ACAN – “Staying Powers” Project |
Labor Market Research for the Workforce Potential Project
Principal Investigators: | Christopher T. King, PhD and Robert W. Glover, PhD |
Sponsor: | Austin Area Research Organization |
Project Duration: | January 2012 – June 2012 |
Description: | The Workforce Potential Project, an initiative of the Social Equity Committee of the Austin Area Research Organization (AARO), aims to better align the local human capital supply and projected industry demand in support of economic growth in Central Texas. WPP targets area residents 25 years and older with some postsecondary achievement to obtain an associate’s degree or certification that will enable them to qualify for high-demand, high-wage jobs offering opportunities for stable employment and career advancement.
AARO engaged the Ray Marshall Center to conduct in-depth labor market research, including identification and analysis of industry sectors and occupations meeting WPP criteria; to prepare of a range of return-on-investment estimates; and to synthesize findings and recommendations for improving and connecting skills, education, and training capacity with projected job opportunities for the target population. The initial report, Workforce Potential Project: Analysis of Labor Market and Provider Capacity, presents the results of this collaborative research effort and provides a basis for advancing WPP toward implementation. |
Reports Available: | The Workforce Potential Project: Analysis of Area Labor Market and Provider Capacity Authors: Robert W. Glover, Dan O’Shea, Christopher T. King, Laura Stelling, and Richard Fonté Date: September 2012 Publication Type: Report, 60pp. |
Workforce Data Quality Initiative
Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD Co-Principal Investigator: Tara Smith, MPA |
Sponsor: | U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration |
Research Partners: | Texas Workforce Commission |
Project Duration: | December 2010 – June 2014 |
Description: | Texas’ Workforce Data Quality Initiative aims to develop a comprehensive system for analysis of workforce and education participation and outcomes. In partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is working to build, test, improve, and expand data linkages across linked individual-level, longitudinal education, and workforce records. Through this project, researchers will be able to identify and assess postsecondary pathways and transitions between education, employment, and other outcomes for students exiting the public school system as well as analyze the performance of the human capital development system in Texas, spanning secondary education through postsecondary education, and workforce training and employment. Additional data sources that will be linked into workforce and education records include corrections, Vital Statistics, and federal and military employment from the Federal Employment Data Exchange System (FEDES). The project will also identify barriers to linking these data systems and present possible options for addressing these barriers. Outcomes and data from the Workforce Data Quality Initiative will be used to enhance program improvement, performance management, and research. This will provide researchers and local ISD administrators, as well as state and local policy makers, with information that could ultimately be used to improve young adult connections with the workforce system and help students and parents identify career pathways to high-wage employment. |
Reports Available: | Postsecondary Education, Training and Labor Market Transitions in Texas: A Regional Analysis Authors: Greg Cumpton, Kristin Christensen, Christopher King, Charles Demakis, and Tara Smith Date: June 2014 Publication Type: Report, 64pp. Findings on Student Outcomes: Results from an Employer Survey Pilot Project Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 7 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 6 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 5 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 4 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 3 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 2 Workforce Data Quality Initiative Research Brief 1 The Texas WDQI Project TAKS-ing Students? Evaluating Exit Exam Effects on Long-Term Student Outcomes in Texas The Effects of Institutional Inputs on Time to Degree for Traditional and Nontraditional College Students Work-study Financial Aid and Student Outcomes: Evidence from Community Colleges in Texas |
Austin College Access Network (ACAN) “Staying Powers” Project
Principal Investigator: | Deanna T. Schexnayder |
Sponsor: | TG Public Benefit Program |
Research Partners: | E3 Alliance |
Project Duration: | December 2010 – July 2011 |
Description: | In partnership with E3 Alliance, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is participating in the Austin College Access Network (ACAN) college persistence project entitled “Staying Powers: Building College Persistence for our Most Challenged Students.” The project’s goal is to conduct a program to enhance the collaboration of participating organizations in the Austin College Access Network to improve college persistence for the region’s low-income and first-generation students at several area colleges and universities. In particular, the program will help establish data capabilities and provide resources for engaging higher education partners to develop shared programming to improve retention.Under the project, RMC will:
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Reports Available: | Development of a Student Tracking System for ACAN Participants Authors: Deanna Schexnayder, Patty Rodriguez, and Greg Cumpton Date: January 2012 Publication Type: Report, 9pp. The Ray Marshall Center’s 2011-2012 project with the Austin College Access Network, as well as available reports, are accessible via this link: ACAN |
A Statewide Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment for Texas
Principal Investigator: | Deanna T. Schexnayder, MBA |
Sponsor: | Texas Early Learning Council and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston |
Research Partners: | Steve Murdock, Ph.D., Hobby Center for the Study of Texas |
Project Duration: | June 1, 2011 – October 31, 2012 |
Description: | The Ray Marshall Center is beginning work with the Texas Early Learning Council and University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston to identify and evaluate education programs and services in Texas for children under the age of 13. The project has four objectives:
1. To understand and estimate the number of children under age 13 who will be eligible for early childhood education programs and services and before and after school-age care programs and services in the near term (2012-2015). 2. To understand and document the current supply across the state of Texas of formal providers of early childhood education programs and services as well as school-age care for children under the age of 13 based on data from federal, state and local agencies and service providers. 3. To conduct a gap analysis based on objectives #1 and #2. 4. To generate a final, comprehensive state of Texas needs assessment analyzing Texas’ early childhood education and school-age care system; and provides recommendations for meeting identified gaps in programs and services and quality and recommendations for conducting periodic needs assessment. |
Reports Available: | Change in the Early Childhood and School Age Population in Texas, 2000 to 2010, and Projected to 2015 Authors: Steve H. Murdock, Michael Cline, Debbie Perez, and George Hough Date: September 2012 Publication Type:Report, 140pp. Publisher: The Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, Rice University Texas Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment: Supply and Quality of Early Care and Education and School-Age Care Texas Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment: Gaps between Need and Availability of Early Care and Education Texas Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment: Final Report |
Two-Generation Strategy Initiative
Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
Sponsor: | Foundation for Child Development |
Project Duration: | April 2011 – June 2016 |
Description: | In partnership with the Foundation for Child Development, the Ray Marshall Center is implementing a Dual-Generation Strategy Initiative. This project seeks to create and promote the field of “dual-generation” strategies, those in which children simultaneously participate in high-quality early and primary education (PreK-3rd) while their parents participate in leading-edge workforce development and education programs ultimately leading to long-term learning and economic success for low-skilled, low-income families in the United States. The goals of the project are to improve the understanding of dual-generation strategies among policymakers, researchers, and funders, as well as foster the implementation of dual-generation strategies at the federal and state levels. The project potentially has four (4) phases, the first two of which FCD is funding through the Center:
The Foundation for Child Development (FCD) is a national private philanthropy in New York City dedicated to promoting a new beginning for American education from PreKindergarten through Third Grade (PreK-3rd). PreK-3rd Grade Education is a seamless learning continuum, connecting high-quality PreK programs with high-quality elementary schools, to create a well-aligned primary education for all our nation’s children. The Foundation promotes the well-being of children, and believes that families, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and governments at all levels share complementary responsibilities in the critical task of raising new generations. |
Reports Available: | Promoting Two-Generation Strategies: A Getting-Started Guide for State and Local Policy Makers (Revised and Updated) Author: Christopher T. King, Cynthia J. Juniper, Rheagan Coffey, and Tara C. Smith Date: August 2016 Publication Type: Report, 55pp Austin Two-Generation Pilot Project Evaluation – UWGA Promoting Two-Generation Strategies: A Getting-Started Guide for State and Local Policy Makers Dual-Generation Strategy Initiative Research Brief Investing in Children and Parents: Fostering Dual-Generation Strategies in the United States |
Jobs to Careers: Promoting Work-Based Learning for Quality Care (R. W. Johnson)
Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
Sponsor: | Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
Research Partners: | Johns Hopkins University and University of Baltimore |
Project Duration: | December 2007 – December 2009 |
Description: | Researchers at the University of Texas’ Ray Marshall Center, in combination with those at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Baltimore propose to advance the understanding of work-based learning (WBL) and career advancement strategies and bolster the business case for these strategies by applying a rigorous return-on-investment (ROI) approach to two Jobs-to-Careers Projects, the Austin Healthcare Collaborative and the Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare. The research will offer a framework for applying state-of-the-art ROI to frontline health/healthcare worker efforts, compute initial ROI estimates for participants (e.g., employees, employers), taxpayers and society and address their implications. Questions to be addressed are:
The research will feature theoretical/conceptual analysis and fieldwork in year one, and data collection, impact and ROI estimation in year two. It will contribute to understanding the business case for WBL and career advancement strategies for frontline health/healthcare workers, guide future investments in frontline worker strategies, and increase understanding of the burden sharing of costs. |
Biotech Workforce Evaluation
Principal Investigators: | Robert W. Glover, PhD |
Sponsor: | WorkSource: The Greater Austin Workforce Development Board |
Research Partners: | Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Community College |
Project Duration: | September 2006 – August 2008 |
Description: | The Ray Marshall Center is conducting an evaluation of a pilot project to enhance educational offering in biotechnology at Austin Community College. Specializations in biotechnical instrumentation and in molecular diagnostics are being developed and implemented in collaboration with industry through a series of teacher externships. In addition, the college is developing a one-semester program in Biotechnology Preparation to provide job applicants with applied skills to access entry-level jobs in biotechnology. Faculty from three ACC departments are involved in this initiative: Electronics, Biotechnology, and Medical Laboratory Technician.
The Ray Marshall Center evaluation is considering both process issues and outcomes of the demonstration. The project will monitor implementation of the project, examining whether implementation was carried out as planned, and if changed, how and why. The evaluation will document the project’s results, assess to what extent the goals and outcomes of the project were accomplished, how well the project served its targeted audiences and constituencies, the measurable returns on investment of the project, and what lessons can be learned from the experience. This pilot project is funded by the Texas Workforce Commission under its program “Meeting Industries’ Critical Workforce Needs” in biotechnology and administered by WorkSource: The Greater Austin Workforce Development Board. The program aims to foster workforce development for jobs in industry clusters targeted for economic development by Texas and by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. |
Reports Available: | Evaluation of the Austin Biotech Workforce Education Consortium Author: Robert W. Glover Date: February 2009 Publication Type: Report, 68pp. Austin Biotech Workforce Education Consortium: First Year Report |
Creating a Sectoral Workforce Development Strategy for Tulsa
Principal Investigator: | Cynthia Juniper, MA |
Sponsor: | George Kaiser Family Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families |
Research Partners: | Community Action Program of Tulsa County, Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child and Graduate School of Education, Tulsa Educare, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa’s School of Community Medicine, Northwestern University’s Institute of Policy Research, Columbia University |
Project Duration: | July 2008 – September 2021 |
Description: | In collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of partners, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) is developing and implementing a sectoral workforce development strategy for low-skilled, low-income parents of children served by early childhood programs in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is emerging evidence that children whose parents hold stable jobs with progressively rising incomes exhibit better academic and behavioral outcomes. RMC and its partners have undertaken a dual-generation approach to poverty reduction that strengthens the investment in early childhood development by equipping Head Start parents with workforce training and gainful employment opportunities. This approach employs a more holistic model than traditional workforce development programs, as it also includes employee counseling and other support services to help parents complete training and adult basic education, retain their jobs, advance in their careers, and become economically self-sufficient. The goal is to develop a sustainable sectoral strategy that can be replicated beyond Tulsa to other communities across the nation.
In the first phase of the project (2008-2009), RMC designed a sectoral job development strategy focused on industries featuring jobs that pay well and provide much-needed employee benefits (e.g., health insurance, annual and sick leave) as well as career advancement opportunities. In April 2009, Community Action Program of Tulsa County launched the pilot, CareerAdvance®, at two Head Start sites in Tulsa involving 15 parents. The components of the CareerAdvance® are 1) GED and college readiness instruction, as needed; 2) skills training in the healthcare sector progressing from Certified Nursing Aide to Licensed Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse; 3) weekly peer support meetings addressing a flexible set of topics (e.g., life skills, work readiness, family finances); 4) conditional cash incentives (up to $3,000 a year) for participants meeting specified benchmarks to reinforce continued participation and help offset foregone earnings; and 5) workforce intermediation between healthcare employers and training institutions provided through Workforce Tulsa. The report on the project’s first year of operation is available at the link below. In partnership with Harvard University and the University of Oklahoma – Tulsa School of Medicine, a second pilot site was opened in July 2009 at a Tulsa Educare Center. The second pilot, EduCareers, includes all components described above as well as enhanced mental health services for participating households, curriculum enhancements for the children, parent engagement training, and a medical home. The CareerAdvance® project has now been expanded to 2015 with support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families. RMC and partners at Northwestern and Columbia University have been engaged to provide ongoing on data collection, implementation, and outcomes analysis of project participants. |
Reports Available: | CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY 2020: The impact of COVID-19 on service delivery Authors: Cynthia Juniper and Christopher T. King Date: February 2021 Publication Type: Report, 52pp. CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY2019 CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY2018 CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY2017 CareerAdvance® HPOG II Transition and Expansion CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through July 2015 Sustaining Two-Generation Strategies: A Case Study of Tulsa’s CareerAdvance® Program CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings Through July 2014 CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings Through July 2013 The Evolution of the CareerAdvance® Program in Tulsa, Oklahoma Expanding the CareerAdvance® Program in Tulsa, Oklahoma CareerAdvance® Implementation Report CareerAdvance® Pilot Project |
Central Texas Workforce Intermediary Initiative Pilot
Principal Investigator: | Christopher T. King, PhD |
Sponsor: | The Rockefeller Foundation |
Research Partners: | Skillpoint Alliance and Capital IDEA |
Project Duration: | October 2005 – March 2007 |
Description: | The Central Texas Workforce Intermediary Initiative (CTWII) will build and strengthen support among Central Texas stakeholders for a major workforce intermediary initiative linked to long-term economic growth and regional vitality. Specifically, the initiative will result in increased training and job creation, especially high-skilled jobs offering high wages, improved job retention, and career advancement for area residents, new business and industry development, greater productivity for the Central Texas business community, and greater economic and social equity across the community. The initiative will focus its efforts on nursing and allied health careers in the region’s steadily growing healthcare industry sector.
The CTWII coalition will utilize a two-phase approach as it transitions from the planning stage to implementation. Phase I will focus on systems and capacity building. It will continue to solidify and expand accomplishments from the planning grant phase, including promoting ongoing stakeholder engagement, bolstering funding, finding additional ways to align funding streams, and continuing to work for improved public policies and political support. This phase will allow the group to implement and test select strategies in one initial industry sector — healthcare — then make adjustments as necessary before full-scale implementation. Phase II will include the continued expansion of the initial industry sector initiative and planning for the expansion of the initiative into at least one and possibly two additional industry sectors. This phase will also focus on long-term planning and sustainability of the efforts launched in Phases I and II. The overarching goal of our work in the healthcare industry sector will be to address the human resources needs of Central Texas healthcare employers by increasing the capacity of leading education and training institutions locally — especially Austin Community College and University of Texas’s School of Nursing — to connect low-income workers with job and career advancement opportunities in the healthcare industry. Through our efforts, we will:
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