Introduction
Research Questions
- Do the coaching programs improve the outcomes of adults with low incomes after 21 months?
- Do the coaching programs affect participants’ intermediate outcomes related to self-regulation and other skills associated with labor market success during the 21 months after enrollment?
- Do the coaching programs affect participants’ employment and economic security outcomes during the 21 months after enrollment?
- How do the impacts of the coaching programs change over time?
- Are the coaching programs more effective for some groups of participants than others?
These four program 21-month impact briefs present impact findings for each of the four employment coaching programs participating in an experimental study conducted as part of the Evaluation of Employment Coaching for TANF and Related Populations. These briefs are the second in a series on the impacts of coaching programs. An earlier report and briefs presented findings on the short-term impacts during the first 9 or 12 months (depending on the program) after study enrollment, a time when many participants were still receiving coaching. These briefs present estimates of impacts of coaching on participants’ self-regulation skills, employment, earnings, self-sufficiency, and other measures of personal and family well-being 21 months after study enrollment. The programs participating in the evaluation are:
- Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS), which serves TANF recipients and their family members in Iowa. The FaDSS impact brief is available at this link.
- Goal4 It!TM, which provides employment coaching to TANF recipients in Jefferson County, Colorado in lieu of traditional case management. The Goal4 It! impact brief is available at this link.
- LIFT, which is a voluntary coaching program operated in four U.S. cities. The LIFT impact brief is available at this link.
- MyGoals for Employment Success (MyGoals), which served recipients of housing assistance in Baltimore, Maryland, and Houston, Texas. The MyGoals impact brief is available at this link.
Findings for all four programs are available in this impact report. A future report will present impact findings and their evolutions for some programs over a longer period—between 48 and 67 months after study enrollment.
Purpose
Poverty and other chronic stressors can hinder the development and use of the self-regulation skills—skills needed to finish tasks, stay organized, and control emotions—that are critical in finding and maintaining employment. Examples of self-regulation skills relevant to employment include, among others: the persistence needed to keep at a task despite setbacks; the time management skills that make it possible to consistently show up to work on time; and the emotional understanding and regulation to deal productively with co-workers. Research suggests that coaching can promote self-regulation skills and hence may help adults with low incomes become economically secure.
The purpose of this study is to examine whether coaching is effective in promoting the use of self-regulation skills and eventually improving the employment outcomes and economic security of TANF recipients and other adults with low incomes. These program impact briefs are intended to inform interested policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders about the effectiveness of the four employment coaching programs participating in the evaluation.
Key Findings and Highlights
We found that at 21 months after study enrollment:
- FaDSS initially improved goal-setting and attainment skills, but this impact faded. The program did not have a large, positive impacts on participants’ self-reported earnings and it did not increase earnings in the jobs reported to the state unemployment agency. The program reduced economic hardship over the short term, but this impact faded over time. FaDSS did not reduce average monthly TANF cash benefits received.
- Goal4 It! did not improve goal-setting and attainment skills. The program did not have large, positive impacts on participants’ self-reported earnings. Moreover, it did not increase earnings in the jobs reported to the state unemployment agency. Goal4 It! did not reduce economic hardship. The program did not reduce average monthly TANF cash benefits received.
- LIFT did not improve goal-setting and attainment skills, nor did it increase participants’ self-reported earnings. The program did not reduce economic hardship. LIFT improved some financial outcomes, although these were not the study’s main measures of economic well-being.
- MyGoals had a persistent positive impact on goal-setting and attainment skills. The program likely had a small, positive effect on self-reported earnings but the impact was not statistically significant. MyGoals did not have a significant effect on earnings reported to a UI agency. MyGoals did not reduce economic hardship.
Methods
The impact findings are based on comparisons of outcomes of study participants randomly assigned to either a program group that had access to employment coaching or a control group that did not. Outcomes are from the 21 months after study enrollment and collected through surveys, administrative employment and Unemployment Insurance records from the National Directory of New Hires, and records from public service agencies.
Citation
Quinn Moore, April Wu, Tim Kautz, Christina Kent, Sheena McConnell, Nicardo McInnis, Ankita Patnaik, and Owen Schochet (2024). “An employment coaching program using home visiting had limited effects on TANF participants’ outcomes: Impacts of FaDSS after 21 months.” OPRE Report #2024-119. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Quinn Moore, April Wu, Tim Kautz, Christina Kent, Sheena McConnell, Nicardo McInnis, Ankita Patnaik, and Owen Schochet (2024). “TANF participants who were offered employment coaching and those offered traditional case management had similar outcomes after 21 months: Impacts of Goal4 It!™.” OPRE Report #2024-120. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Quinn Moore, April Wu, Tim Kautz, Christina Kent, Sheena McConnell, Nicardo McInnis, Ankita Patnaik, and Owen Schochet (2024). “An employment coaching program for parents of young children has limited effects after 21 months: Impacts of LIFT.” OPRE Report #2024-118. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Quinn Moore, April Wu, Tim Kautz, Christina Kent, Sheena McConnell, Nicardo McInnis, Ankita Patnaik, and Owen Schochet (2024). “An employment coaching demonstration program focusing on self-regulation skills showed promise in improving outcomes after 21 months: Impacts of MyGoals.” OPRE Report #2024-117. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.