The two studies featured in this report both focus on the question of whether the Maryland Corps / Service Year Option (MC/SYO) program, which is administered by the Maryland State Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI), delivers positive short-term outcomes to program participants (Members). The outcomes analyzed in the first study are associated with workforce development (employment rate, full-time/part-time employment, hourly wage) and educational attainment (attending college, attending college and/or working).
These outcomes are measured at two time periods: at the time the MC/SYO Members enroll in the program, and approximately six months after they complete their terms. The post-service data for MC/SYO are collected from a survey of alumni, which has achieved response rates of around fifty percent with- out any evidence of nonresponse bias. The over-time change for MC/SYO Members is compared to the change observed for a sample of respondents from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which is matched to the MC/SYO sample on key demographic variables as well as baseline levels of the outcome.