Quantifying the Impact of Jobs for America's Graduates

What is the effect of completing the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) Multi-Year Dropout Prevention Program on low-income 11th to 12th graders’ academic and economic outcomes? The City of South Bend, in partnership with researchers from J-PAL and LEO, will conducted a randomized controlled trial to analyze the effect of the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) Multi-Year Dropout Prevention Program on education and labor market outcomes.This study is intended to inform the City of how to best optimize JAG services for South Bend youth, and measure the return on investment of the program for the purposes of understanding its relative sustainability and efficiency. We will recruit a total sample of 500 students and randomize 250 students into the treatment group and 250 to control. The primary outcomes of interest are on-time high school completion and GPA. Additional key outcomes include a broad range of indicators of labor market success, including: college application, enrollment, persistence, and completion, and employment and earnings. The City hopes that this evaluation will provide positive and significant results on the specific impact of JAG on South Bend students and make a case to expand this program to more students in South Bend schools.