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Youth ChalleNGe Youth ChalleNGe is a comprehensive and innovative program that is run by the National Guard and operates in 29 states, serving approximately 9,000, 16 to 18 year old dropout youth who are at high risk of permanent school dropout, teen parenting, youth unemployment and, for many, criminal involvement and eventual incarceration. It involves an intensive, military academy style, five-month residential program that leads to a job, a post-secondary educational enrollment or enlistment in the military (via a special eligibility arrangement contained in the Defense Department legislation that established the program). This transition is supported by a year-long mentoring relationship that is built during the program's residential phase. Despite these positive stories, encouraging program participation data, and growing demand, we simply do not have reliable, convincing evidence demonstrating the net difference ChalleNGe has made overall. In collaboration with researchers at MDRC, and under the diretion of Drs. Gordon Berlin and Jean Rhodes, we are in the initial stages of developing a national evaluation of ChalleNGE, in employ a random assignment research design. |