About the Study
In 2023, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO), in collaboration with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), funded independent contractor Abt Associates to conduct the evaluation of ODEP’s Equitable Transition Models (ETM) Demonstration Projects. The ETM Evaluation aims to build the evidence of strategies to enable low-income youth and young adults with disabilities (Y&YAD) ages 16-24, including those experiencing homelessness, leaving foster care, or involved in the justice system, to successfully transition into the workforce. This will include rigorous evaluation of the demonstration projects’ implementation and outcomes, as well as an evaluability assessment on the feasibility of an impact evaluation.
This Department of Labor-funded study was a result of the annual process to determine the Department’s research priorities for the upcoming year. It contributes to the labor evidence-base to inform programs and policies that impact employment and training. The project also addresses Departmental strategic goals and priorities.
- How were the ETM strategies implemented? Were they implemented as designed?
- What are core components, roles, and responsibilities of the ETM program implementors?
- What are the characteristics of the populations served by ETM strategies?
- Are there ideal times during the transition from school to workforce that Y&YAD should be actively engaged to provide courses or direct one-on-one assistance?
- What barriers and complexities did participants face when seeking services, and to what extent did the ETM models account for removing those barriers?
- What types of services and/or communication strategies are promising or effective in increasing engagement with participants, and were they effective or promising for some more than others?
Project Duration: 60 Months
Contract End Date: June 2028
Contractor: Abt Associates
For More Information: ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy. CEO’s research development process includes extensive technical review at the design, data collection and analysis stage, including: external contractor review and OMB review and approval of data collection methods and instruments per the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), Institutional Review Board (IRB) review to ensure studies adhere to the highest ethical standards, review by academic peers (e.g., Technical Working Groups), and inputs from relevant DOL agency and program officials and CEO technical staff. Final reports undergo an additional independent expert technical review and a review for Section 508 compliance prior to publication. The resulting reports represent findings from this independent research and do not represent DOL positions or policies.