RMC's Dr. Heath Prince co-authors article on interventions to prevent occupational heat stress in laborers

RMC’s Director and Research Scientist Dr. Heath Prince co-authored an article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJEPH) by MDPI Open Access Journals outlining interventions to prevent occupational heat stress in laborers during physically demanding work in high environmental temperatures. Read more about the article here.

RMC's Dr. Chris King co-authors chapter in book "The Governance of Labour Administration"

RMC’s Senior Research Scientist Dr. Chris King co-authored a chapter with Burt Barnow in a new book The Governance of Labour Administration: Reforms, Innovations and Challenges, edited by Jason Heyes and Ludek Rychly of the University of Sheffield Management School and available in print or open access through Edward Elgar Publishing. The book focuses on public administration activities in the field of national labour policy, providing detailed analyses of labour administration reforms, innovations, and challenges in different countries. Read more about the book here.

RMC announces support from JPMorgan Chase to study Opportunity Youth in Texas

The Ray Marshall Center is pleased to announce support from JPMorgan Chase to study the pathways taken by Opportunity Youth in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. This $750,000, five-year grant 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. Read more about the support here.

Project Summary: Examining Reproductive Health Services of Women, Female Youth, and Female Refugees in Northern Jordan with a Behavioral Economics Lens

The Dutch Research Council has published a project summary for Examining Reproductive Health Services of Women, Female Youth, and Female Refugees in Northern Jordan with a Behavioral Economics Lens titled “Behavioural economics-inspired counselling helped to reduce pregnancies in Jordan” dated June 7, 2021. RMC’s Research Scientist Dr. Heath Prince led the project team in the United States which ran from 2017 to 2020. Read more about the project summary here.

RMC's Dr. Chris King pens op-ed with BETS focusing on labor market challenges and recovery strategies

RMC Senior Research Scientist Dr. Chris King co-authored an op-ed ‘Building Back Better’ Means Focusing on the Labor Force & Systems That Support Recovery with The Better Employment and Training Strategies Task force (BETS) published on January 22, 2021 by RealClear Policy. Read more about the op-ed here.

RMC's Dr. Heath Prince pens op-ed on construction worker exploitation for Austin American-Statesman

RMC’s Director and Research Scientist Dr. Heath Prince recently wrote an op-ed in the Austin American-Statesmen titled “Worker exploitation in Texas’ throwaway culture” published December 13, 2020. The piece touches on the exploitation of the construction workers, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more about the op-ed here.

The Better Employment and Training Strategies (BETS) Task Force

The Better Employment and Training Strategies Task Force, or BETS, is a group of more than 40 workforce experts formed in November 2020 by Prof. Stephen Crawford of the George Washington Institute of Public Policy, Stuart Andreason of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and Larry Good of Corporation for a Skilled Workforce to develop recommendations aimed at informing the incoming Biden-Harris administration and the 117th Congress on issues and policy options related to five central workgroups: unemployment insurance, workforce development, job quality, youth employment, and federal jobs initiatives. These five workgroups will provide critically needed input into workforce development policy and programmatic conversations around improving the country’s employment and training system. Read more about the task force here.

Evaluation of Travis County Investments in Workforce Development: 2021 Update

This evaluation examines outcomes and impacts for participants exiting the Travis County-funded community-based workforce programs between FY 2016 and FY 2020. To understand the impact of these services, the county has contracted with the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources (RMC), an organized research unit in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of its investments. This evaluation report presents findings and analyses of programs funded during a five-year on-going evaluation (FY 2016–FY 2020). Read more about the report here.

Evaluation of Literacy Coalition of Central Texas Texas Family Literacy AmeriCorps (TFLA) Initiative

Literacy Coalition of Central Texas (LCCT) received funding from the OneStar Foundation to implement the Texas Family Literacy AmeriCorps (TFLA) program. TFLA is a part of the AmeriCorps State & National network of national service programs that engage adults of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet the nation's critical needs in education, public safety, health, and environment. LCCT contracted with the Ray Marshall Center to conduct an evaluation including implementation, outcomes, and impacts analysis components. The purpose of the study is to present information that can assist LCCT to better

understand the components of effective efforts to advance the careers of low-income workers. Read more about the report here.

Evaluation of Austin Community College's Strengthening Institutions Program Grant: Annual Outcomes and Impacts Report

Austin Community College (ACC) received a $1.7 million Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) in 2015 to develop programs to help students understand smart money management and college financing. The grant, “Achieving Student Success through Financial Aid Education and Financial Literacy,” funded initiatives to teach students about money management and to help the ACC community understand the connection between students’ academic and financial goals. This report examines the outcomes and impacts of grant-funded activities throughout the five-year grant period. Read more about the report here.

Evaluation of Austin Community College's Strengthening Institutions Program Grant: Implementation Evaluation Report Through July 2021

ACC partnered with the Ray Marshall Center to conduct an implementation evaluation and an outcome and impact analysis of the SMMO program. The SMMO implementation study documents the evolution of the program from the initial development and implementation starting in July 2016, continuing throughout the duration of the program, examining program modifications to understand how and why changes were made. This final report examines the implementation and evolution of the program throughout the grant period. Read more about the report here.

Research Study of Austin Community College's Rainy Day Savings Program

With funding support from Trellis Foundation, the Student Money Management Office at Austin Community College is implementing the Rainy Day Savings Program, modeled after the success of Individual Development Accounts. In the Rainy Day Savings program, students earn up to $100 in cash incentives while working to amass at least $500 in savings.  ACC has partnered with the Ray Marshall Center to study the effectiveness of the Rainy Day Savings program. In this interim report, RMC researchers examined program participation patterns and early program outcomes. Read more about the report here.

Nuru Nigeria: 2021 Midpoint Impact Report

The Ray Marshall Center is conducting a four-year mixed-method impact evaluation of Nuru Nigeria’s interventions. The study design includes an intervention group and a non-intervention comparison group assigned through a clustered random control trial design. The mixed-method approach includes quantitative data collection using a household survey administered at baseline and midpoint, and qualitative data collection using focus groups and stakeholder interviews conducted at baseline and midpoint. RMC is using propensity score matching and difference-in-difference to study the impact of Nuru Nigeria’s interventions. This report sets out the midpoint status of these objectives. Read more about the report here.

Evaluation of the CCCCO Financial Literacy Pilot Final Report

The California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) partnered with fifteen community colleges across California to pilot a unique financial literacy messaging intervention in fall 2019 and fall 2020. The goal of the pilot was to increase student retention and success by delivering useful financial literacy material, focusing on much‐needed information about budgeting and credit, and specifically targeting first‐year, first‐time students, via a texting/email platform. The CCCCO partnered with the Ray Marshall Center to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the pilot. RMC’s evaluation included an outcome evaluation for each college and a rigorous impact evaluation for the pilot as a whole. Read more about the report here.

Nuru Ethiopia 2020 Impact Report

Since 2016, the Ray Marshall Center has provided technical assistance to Nuru International’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) team. The Center’s experience and expertise support Nuru’s work in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria by demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of its integrated approach to addressing poverty. This report presents Nuru Ethiopia’s 2020 impact results for farmer cooperatives, rural livelihoods, and healthcare programming. Read more about the report here.

CareerAdvance® Implementation Study Findings through FY2020: The Impact of COVID-19 on service delivery

This report focuses specifically on and presents how CareerAdvance® partner organizations responded to the needs of participants and their families during the shifting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon service delivery; the efforts and issues salient to the sustainability of CareerAdvance®; and the impact participation in CareerAdvance® has had on the partner organizations’ overall philosophy, strategic planning, and service delivery. Read more about the report here.

Nuru Kenya 2020 Impact Report

Since 2016, the Ray Marshall Center has been providing technical assistance to support Nuru International’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) team. The Center’s experience and expertise supports Nuru’s work in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria by demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of its integrated approach to addressing poverty. In Kenya, the integrated Nuru model seeks to address three key areas of need: 1) food insecurity, 2) inability to cope with economic shocks and 3) unnecessary disease and death. To track program impact, the M&E team collects yearly evaluation data to support all data-driven decision-making. This report reviews Nuru Kenya’s 2020 impact results for rural livelihoods, healthcare, and farmer organization performance. Read more about the report here.

Policy Brief: Building a National Unemployment Insurance System

Dr. Chris King, Senior Research Scientist and former RMC Director, along with Stephen A. Wandner, a Senior Fellow with the National Academy of Social Insurance, has co-authored a timely and critically important policy brief on modernizing the U.S. Unemployment Insurance program. The pandemic has made stark the long-running weaknesses in the UI program, but King and Wandner present solutions that are both practical and imminently practicable. This brief is the product of the Better Employment and Training Strategies (BETS) task force, an ad-hoc group, including the RMC, of more than 40 workforce development experts created to provide critically needed input into policy and programmatic conversations around improving the country’s employment and training system.  Read more about the policy brief here.

Evaluation of the CCCCO Financial Literacy Pilot: Year One Annual Report

Financial wellness and financial literacy are important when it comes to the success of community college students.  With this in mind, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) brought together fifteen California community colleges to pilot a unique financial literacy messaging intervention (FL Pilot) in 2019.  The goal of the pilot was to increase student retention and success by delivering useful financial literacy material, focusing on much-needed information about budgeting and credit, and specifically targeting first-year, first-time students, via a texting/email platform.  The CCCCO partnered with the Ray Marshall Center to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the FL pilot.  This Year 1 report builds upon and extends the analyses presented in the interim report published in May 2020.  Read more about the policy brief here.

La Isla Network

The Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources has partnered with the La Isla Network (LIN) on several projects, including the current Belmont Forum Collaborative Research project described below.  LIN is dedicated to ending the epidemic of Chronic Kidney Disease of undetermined causes (CKDnT) through a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach.  Read more about LIN here.

Belmont Forum Collaborative Research: Protection Resilience Efficiency and Prevention for Workers in Industrial Agriculture in Changing Climate

Chronic kidney disease of undetermined cause (CKDu), affects millions of workers in Latin America and Asia. Treatment is expensive, resulting in early death for those affected. Strenuous work in extreme heat without sufficient rest and hydration is considered a main driver. Industrial agriculture is the most affected, especially the sugarcane sector. Without prevention, this epidemic is likely to accelerate due to climate change. Increasing temperatures, coupled with decreasing precipitation in drier agricultural regions, is also causing pesticides and other toxins to concentrate at higher levels. As a response to this heat stress related disease, we have collectively implemented the Adelante Initiative, a workplace intervention with focus on adequate water, and rest in shade together with improved ergonomics, designed to prevent CKDu among workers at a sugarcane mill in Nicaragua. Read more about the project here.

Evaluation of the Building Construction Trades Grantees

The Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources has partnered with the Texas Workforce Commission to conduct an evaluation of the Building Construction Trades Grantees Program, including assessing participant outcomes, program implementation, and participant and employer feedback on the programs. Read more about the project here.

Pathways Taken By Opportunity Youth in San Antonio (UP Partnership)

Through a partnership with the UP Partnership and the Aspen Institute, the RMC will engage in a data-driven longitudinal study following Opportunity Youth (OY) in San Antonio into either the labor market or post-secondary education (or both) between Fall 2021 and Summer 2026 to map out the pathways taken by OY. This study will begin tracking OY at the point that they exit OY programs. In addition, and in order to gain a fuller understanding of the entire OY population, we will identify the total population of OY in an area (based on high school of graduation) through data collected from the Education Research Center (ERC). Read more about the project here.

Pathways Taken By Opportunity Youth in San Antonio (Aspen Institute)

Through a partnership with the Aspen Institute, the RMC will engage in a data-driven longitudinal study following Opportunity Youth (OY) in San Antonio into either the labor market or post-secondary education (or both) between Fall 2021 and Summer 2026 to map out the pathways taken by OY.  This study will use UI wage and National Student Clearinghouse data to monitor the progress at the individual level. Read more about the project here.

Pathways Taken By Opportunity Youth

With the support of JPMorgan Chase, the Ray Marshall Center will study the pathways taken by Opportunity Youth in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. This five-year grant 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 post-secondary education. Read more about the project here.

Data Linkage for LEO's Texas Research Study

The Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame conducts impact evaluations in partnership with non-profit and government agencies focused on reducing poverty by creating evidence based programs that move people from poverty to self-sufficiency. LEO is currently conducting a large research study in Texas to test assumptions about self-sufficiency programs. The research examines the impact of multiple self-sufficiency programs being implemented in locations across the state of Texas. LEO is partnering with the Ray Marshall Center to utilize state administrative data to support this research. LEO and RMC researchers will use the data to demonstrate the impact of these self-sufficiency programs on outcomes such as earnings, employment and public benefit usage. Read more about the project here.

Maximizing Impact and Measuring Success

The Ray Marshall Center will provide assistance to Goodwill Industries of Central Texas to develop, plan, and deploy a revised strategic plan for future years. Read more about the project here.

Researching ACC's Rainy Day Program

ACC partnered with the Ray Marshall Center to study the effectiveness of the Rainy Day Savings program.  This research study will provide actionable information about the success of the intervention allowing for ACC and Trellis to make decisions about and program modifications and sustainability. Read more about the project here.

Applied Data Analysis Training and Support

The Ray Marshall Center will provide data management, research, and governance assistance to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).  As a part of an initiative at the Coleridge Initiative, Inc. to expand access to state data to policymakers and state agency employees, the RMC will provide staffing and support to facilitate the Applied Data Analytics training program created by the Coleridge Initiative, Inc. The RMC will provide support and staffing to implement the training developed by the Coleridge Initiative for state agencies in Texas and surrounding states. The curriculum is designed to expand access and use of administrative data to inform policy. Read more about the project here.

Nuru Ethiopia, Nuru Kenya, and Nuru Nigeria Impact

The Ray Marshall Center will assist Nuru International’s M&E team with analyzing and reporting Nuru Ethiopia, Nuru Kenya, and Nuru Nigeria’s impact. Read more about the project here.

America's Job Center of California Evaluation

With assistance from the California Workforce Association, the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and the Ray Marshall Center are partnering to evaluate the effectiveness of American Job Centers of California (AJCC). Read more about the project here.

HPOG Secondary Data Analysis

The Ray Marshall Center will evaluate the variation in program characteristics – including program components, implementation features, local context, and participant traits – to explore which characteristics are associated with Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program participant’s healthcare profession career pathway outcomes. Read more about the project here.

Pursuit of Advanced Training in High-Demand Skills (PATHS) for Texas

The Ray Marshall Center will provide research support to the PATHS (Pursuit of Advanced Training in High-Demand Skills) for Texas project in partnership with Workforce Solutions Dallas. The goal of the PATHS project is to implement a statewide retail sector incumbent worker career advancement strategy. The RMC’s primary role under this grant will be to evaluate outcomes in order to provide evidence of success and efficacy for expansion and regional replication. Read more about the project here.