NCJ Number
89322
Date Published
1982
Length
300 pages
Annotation
The Youth Incentive Entitlement Pilot Projects (YIEPP), designed to link schooling and work experiences for disadvantaged youth, shows that youth who might be tempted to drop out of school will continue with their education, and drop-outs are even willing to return to school if they are offered a job under the condition that they attend school.
Abstract
The YIEPP was targeted to youths aged 16-19 from low-income or welfare households who had not yet graduated from high school. The program's primary feature was an offer of a guaranteed Federal minimum wage job parttime during the school year and fulltime during the summer, on the condition that participants remain in or return to school or pursue a General Equivalency Diploma. The evaluation research design made use of matched comparison sites, and it focused on program eligibles as well as participants. Questionnaires administered to the sample focused on schooling, work, and related experience. YIEPP's success in attracting black youths to the program suggests that the current low employment rates for black youths may result from discrimination in the marketplace. Results also show that youth are willing to continue their education and even return to school if they can have income from a job. YIEPP both reduced the drop-out rate of younger teens already enrolled in school and increased the number returning to either regular high school or a program to earn the General Equivalency Diploma. The appendixes contain supplementary impact tables, regression models for basic program impacts, and tests of sample attrition bias. Tabular data are provided.