1. Facilitator- Jade Gingerich, Director MD PROMISE
Lessons Learned from PROMISE: A National Research Effort to Improve Education and Employment Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Living in Poverty
Panel:
Facilitator- Jade Gingerich, Director MD PROMISE
PROMISE Overview- Carol Ruddell, Director ASPIRE
Parent-Candy Deal, MD PROMISE
Coordinator of Direct Services—Natalie McQueen, Director of Transition Services, District 75, NYC DOE, NYS PROMISE
Employer Perceptions/Strategies- Brent Williams, Director Arkansas PROMISE
State Agency Representative- Meredith Dressel, Director Wisconsin PROMISE

2. Brave New World
School personnel need to know the world they are preparing students with disabilities for is changing dramatically. The federal government is aligning policies and practices across agencies that requires integration. It is also support employment as the preferred outcomes and is investing in research to determine how to increase employment outcomes for youth with disabilities.

3. Olmstead
On June 22, 1999, the United States Supreme Court held in Olmstead v. L.C. that unjustified segregation of persons with disabilities constitutes discrimination in violation of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Initially applied to residential settings now being applied to other settings including school and work settings such as sheltered workshops.

4. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS)
CMS is requiring all states to have a plan in place by 2019 to ensure that individuals receiving long-term services and supports through home and community based service (HCBS) programs under the 1915(c), 1915(i) and 1915(k) Medicaid authorities have full access to benefits of community living and the opportunity to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate
Impacts particularly students with I/DD exiting school onto waiver services. Segregated day habilitation and sheltered and group work will no longer be funded.

5. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
States individuals with disabilities age 24 and younger will no longer be permitted to work for less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour unless they first receive pre-employment transition services at school and try vocational rehabilitation service.
Adds requirement that Pre-employment Services are to be provided (funded by Vocational Rehabilitation) to youth with disabilities while still in school.

6. Indicator 14
Why does it matter? School systems are required to track post-school outcomes for youth with IEPs at least one year after exit.
Definition
Percent of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had IEPs in effect at the time they left school, and were:
A. Enrolled in higher education within one year of leaving high school.
B. Enrolled in higher education or competitively employed within one year of leaving high school.
C. Enrolled in higher education or in some other postsecondary education or training program; or competitively employed or in some other employment within one year of leaving high school.

7. Model Demonstration projects FY2013-2018
PROMISE (Promoting the Readiness Of Minors In Supplemental Security IncomE)
Model Demonstration projects FY

8. Background/The Need for PROMISE
The PROMISE program was proposed by the Administration to improve education and career outcomes of low income children with disabilities receiving supplemental security income (SSI).
PROMISE advances the Administration’s goal of fostering interagency collaboration at the Federal and State levels to improve services and drive innovation.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L ) provided funds for activities to improve the outcomes of child SSI recipients and their families (approx. $211 million were awarded to the 6 projects).
Six grants were awarded in FY2013 for 5 years to implement Model Demonstration Projects (MDPs) to promote positive outcomes for children who receive SSI and their families. A PROMISE TA Center was awarded in FY 2014.

9. PURPOSE
PROMISE aims to encourage new ways of providing support and to build an evidence base on the effectiveness of promising interventions related to the transition from school to postsecondary education and employment.

10. PROMISE Federal Partners U.S. Department of Education
Association for University Centers on Disabilities
(National Technical Assistance Center)
PROMISE Model Demonstration Projects (MDPs)
U.S. Social Security Administration
Mathematica Policy Research
(National Evaluator)
U.S. Health & Human Services
U.S. Department of Labor

11. PROMISE Conceptual Framework
Personal Barriers
Low familial expectations for youth’s education and employment
Low levels of motivation and self-confidence
Fear of benefit loss and confusion about financial options
Insufficient advocacy for school or work-related supports and accommodations
Limited education and skills demanded by employers
Limited work experience
Key Outcomes
PROMISE
Strong partnerships to coordinate services across state agencies
Services and supports to improve education and employment outcomes for SSI youth and their families:
Case management
Benefits counseling and financial literacy training
Career and work-based learning experiences
Parent training and information
Short-Term
Holistic assessment of youth and family needs
Increased coordination and use of services
Parental training
Financial planning
Higher parental expectations for youth’s education, employment, and self- sufficiency
Improved self-determination
Educational progress
Work-based experiences
Employment credentials of parents
Long-Term
Increased educational attainment of youth
Improved youth and parent employment outcomes
Reduced household reliance on SSI and other public programs
Higher total household income and improved economic well-being
Education, employment, and financial security of SSI youth and their families
Environment
Inadequate disability and employment services and supports
Fragmented and uncoordinated system of supports
Disincentives for productive activities in SSI and other programs
Employer attitudes towards persons with disabilities
Economic and labor market environment
Societal perceptions of disability
Fraker, Carter, Honeycutt, Kauff, Livermore, & Mamun. (June 24, 2014). PROMISE Evaluation Design Report. Washington, DC: Center for Studying Disability Policy, Mathematica Policy Research.

12. Recruitment/Research Design
Target Population: Youth, years of age, enrolled in the SSI program through the Social Security Administration and their families
Six grant awardees were required to recruit 13,172 participants for the study (all MDPs were required to recruit 2,000 participants , except CA –3,172 participants); recruitment ended on and all MDPs met or exceeded their enrollment targets (total enrollment- 13,444/102%)
Experimental Research Design: RCT used to test interventions to predict positive outcomes for SSI eligible youth. The control group continues to receive typical services available to them in their state.

13. Model Demonstration Project Sites
ASPIRE: Arizona, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah
Arkansas
California
Maryland
New York
Wisconsin

14. State Leads & External Partners
PROMISE Site
Lead Agencies
External Partners
ASPIRE
UT Board of Education &
Office of Rehabilitation
Arizona Governor’s Office of Children, Youth, & Families
Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services
North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities
South Dakota Department of Human Services
University of Utah
Arkansas
Department of Education
University of Arkansas
California
Department of Rehabilitation
San Diego State University
Interwork Institute
Maryland
Department of Disabilities
TransCen Services, Inc.
New York
Office of Mental Health
Cornell University
Employment & Disability Institute
Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development
University of Wisconsin – Madison & Stout;
Board of People with Developmental Disabilities

15. PROMISE MDP Core Features/Requirements
Develop partnerships with multiple state agencies and organizations
Provide services and supports which include:
case management
benefits counseling and financial capability services
career and work-based learning experiences, to include paid employment in integrated settings
parent training and information
Participant outreach and recruitment
Provide technical assistance and training to include professional development for stakeholders.

16. Evaluation Activities National Evaluator’s Role
National Evaluation-SSA, in collaboration with ED, is conducting a rigorous evaluation of the PROMISE program using an RCT design to obtain evidence of the effectiveness of the MDP interventions.
Use of 5 types of data from many sources—
enrollment
survey
administrative
program implementation
program cost
Conducted over a 9-year period (see reference in slide 11 for further information).

17. Evaluation Activities MDP’s Evaluation Role
Formative Evaluation-Implement a plan for conducting a formative evaluation of the project’s activities and model, consistent with the proposed logic model and data
Performance Measures-Track key outcomes around educational attainment, employment, reduced use of public benefits, increased total gross income of family members, as well as measures associated with their logic models
Management Information System (MIS)- Developed to track and manage project information, such as referrals and service participation, and documents services and supports

18. PROMISE TA Center
The Center, awarded to the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), and funded in FY2014, provides TA to the PROMISE MDPs to support the implementation of these projects and increase their capacity to improve services and supports to child SSI recipients and their families.

19. See the Attached for a Snapshot of these Tools and Resources
AR PROMISE: Resource Tool for Employers
ASPIRE: Goal Workbook
CA PROMISE: Career and Work-based Learning Toolkit
MD PROMISE: Are you Getting the Most of out PROMISE Services? and Tips to Engage the Family/Youth
NYS PROMISE: Just-in-Time Toolkit
WI PROMISE: Interagency Tools
AUCD PROMISE TA Center: Update on the Able Act

20. For Further Information: PROMISE TA Center Contact Information: AR PROMISE: Philip Adams Brent Williams, ASPIRE: Carol Ruddell, CA PROMISE: Sylvia Hoggatt, MD PROMISE: Jade Gingerich, NYS PROMISE: Andrew Karhan, WI PROMISE: Meredith Dressel, Ellie Hartman, AUCD PROMISE Technical Assistance Center: Michael Gamel-McCormick,

21. Discussion Questions
What organizational or other external factors influence the implementation of interventions?
What unique strategies or tools have been employed to engage and provide the necessary services and supports for youth and their families in order to obtain employment, high school completion, and participate in postsecondary education?
What is the intersection between education and employment outcomes for youth with disabilities and why does it matter?

22. Disclaimer
The PROMISE Model Demonstration Projects produced this document under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs associated with PR Award # H418P1300##.
This document also was reviewed by the PROMISE Project Officers prior to publication. Nevertheless, the contents of the document and any documents cited herein do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. This product is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be:
“Lessons Learned from PROMISE: A National Research Effort to Improve Education and Employment Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Living in Poverty,” 2016 Project Directors’ Conference.