LEO is committed to supporting our partners through every step of their journey—from research to impact. Sometimes that impact work looks like support for replication—packaging a program so it can move into new communities. Sometimes it looks like testifying to policymakers about the impact of a program so they might allocate more or new resources to help more people access it. In all cases, we look for partners willing to take a microscope to their program, discover what works and what doesn’t, and take their evidence to impact.
One of our key partners in impact right now focuses on expansion through state policy change. The Excel Centers are on a mission to transform adult lives through the power of achieving a high school diploma and accessing postsecondary education. More than 23 million adults in the US lack a high school credential, and this group faces substantially worse labor market and criminal justice outcomes than people who graduate. For many adults past the traditional high school age, they believe earning a GED is their only option. Goodwill knows the value of a high school diploma, and they founded Excel Center to expand access to education and grant high school diplomas to adults of any age.
Our partners at the Goodwill Excel National have a deep commitment to expanding the footprint and the impact of the Excel Centers model program. A key barrier to expanding is state law that prevents adults ages 22 and above from earning a high school diploma. As such, Senior Vice President and Chief Mission and Education Officer Betsy Delgado and her team seek to find states where a policy change is possible so that in moving into that state and working with the Goodwill/s there, they work towards clear sustainable funding. This means that when they open up an Excel Center they do so with a commitment to funding a proven program consistently. For Betsy and her team, a key strategy for expansion is bringing LEO to new states to share about the research. As Betsy says, “We need to educate people on why they should invest in these programs.”
Goodwill knows the value of a high school diploma, and they founded Excel Center to expand access to education and grant high school diplomas to adults of any age.
I recently joined leaders from Goodwill Excel National and Goodwill Arkansas to testify in front of the Arkansas State Legislature Education
Committee sharing about the impact, verified by LEO’s independent research, on student earnings, employment, and higher education participation. LEO team members have testified similarly in half a dozen other states. This effort, to take evidence to state policy leaders, has supported Excel Center expansions into 50 schools in 12 states and Washington, D.C.
Lead researcher Patrick Turner notes, “We find that graduating from the Excel Center raises earnings by nearly 40% within five years, while also increasing workforce certifications and college credits that open doors to higherpaying sectors such as healthcare. And this is not just an Indiana story. We find similarly-sized earnings impacts when replicating our analysis with Excel Center students in Austin, TX. The program is highly cost-effective, generating $20 in benefits for every net public dollar spent based on our analysis of earnings gains alone. Our new work exploring the school’s impact on contact with the criminal justice system suggests these benefits increase to over $60.”
This shows strong partnership and evidence are leading the way to poverty reduction across the country.