American Idea Foundation

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Bottom Line: Helping 1st Generation College Students Grow & Thrive

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By: AIF Staff

For two decades in Congress, former Speaker Paul Ryan worked to advance solutions that reduced poverty and expanded economic opportunities for all Americans. All too often though, debates about how the federal government could effectively reduce poverty became partisan food-fights and ended in ideological stalemates.

In Ryan’s mind, one way to mitigate this partisan paralysis when it comes to fighting poverty is to use evidence and data to measure the efficacy of a particular program and solution. If policymakers used objective analyses when determining what strategies were working and what ones were not, the federal government could finally make meaningful progress in the War on Poverty.

This is why Ryan’s American Idea Foundation has provided funding and institutional support to front-line organizations around the country who are developing evidence-based solutions to our major challenges. In 2023, the American Idea Foundation issued grants to 7 groups who are united in their belief that every person deserves the opportunity to achieve their version of the American Dream. These groups are making a tangible difference in people’s lives and, with the Foundation’s help, will develop new and additional evidence evaluating the impact of their programs.

One of the 2023 grant recipients is Bottom Line, which was founded in Boston, Massachusetts. Bottom Line partners with degree-aspiring students of color from under-resourced communities to help them get into and through college and successfully launch a career. They do this by providing hands-on mentors and guides for students throughout their journey in higher education.

Since 1997, Bottom Line has helped thousands of degree-aspiring students access the expert advice and relationship-based support they deserve to select an affordable college, complete their degrees, and enter the workforce with minimal debt.

Most of those served by Bottom Line are first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds. The organization’s mentors shepherd students through the college application process, stick with them throughout college, and offer one-on-one support through graduation. Bottom Line starts supporting students in their senior year of high school, continues from the application process to graduation, and includes a student’s entry into the workforce.

Bottom Line’s goal is to create a far-reaching ripple effect by helping first-generation college students use the transformative power of a college degree to mobilize a career that ultimately lifts up individuals, families, and communities. Bottom Line expects their students to earn a bachelor’s degree, accumulate no more than $31,000 in debt, and be employed or continuing their education following their graduation.

The early evidence in support of Bottom Line’s approach is promising. In 2021, the organization participated in an extensive randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the program’s impact on attaining a college degree. Among the trial’s key findings were:

–          Students enrolled in Bottom Line programming were 7.6% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within 5-6 years of high school.

–          Students enrolled in Bottom Line programs were 9.1% percentage points more likely to attend four-year institutions.The 2021 trial results show that Bottom Line’s hands-on, time-intensive mentorship model can and does help students from under-served communities get into college and succeed. With the American Idea Foundation’s assistance, Bottom Line will continue rigorously evaluating the effects of its program and, if the evidence merits, expand their strategy to other communities around the country to serve more students from under-served communities. 

Per Scholas: Educating & Training Individuals for 21st Century Careers

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By: AIF Staff

Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has long believed policymakers can and must play a role in helping Americans obtain the necessary education, skills, and training today so they are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow. During his time in Congress, Ryan consistently fought for policies to expand economic opportunities and spur upward mobility so more Americans could reach their full potential in a dynamic 21st century economy.

Since launching the American Idea Foundation in 2019, he has continued working with community leaders and groups who are helping low-income individuals look for employment, develop new skills, or identify new careers in emerging sectors. As the Foundation has done so, it became apparent that many job training and vocational programs lack reliable evidence to quantify their impact.

In order to identify solutions which are not only effective but also replicable, policymakers and organizations need to commit to methodically building evidence in support of promising interventions. The need to expand the base of evidence in the workforce training space is one of the reasons why the American Idea Foundation decided to partner with Per Scholas in 2023.

Started in 1995, Per Scholas believes a thriving workforce starts with equitable access to education. To accomplish this goal, they created an evidence-based, professional development program that provides individuals, many of whom are already employed, with tuition-free technology training and skills for high-growth careers.

Participants of the Per Scholas program receive 15 weeks of occupational skills training in information technology, career readiness services (e.g., assistance in resume and interview preparation), and job development and placement services. Per Scholas, which is now operating in 20 cities across the United States, maintains strong relationships with local employers who hire these newly-trained workers into positions related to information technology services. The local employers then help shape the program’s training curriculum and other services, meaning Per Scholas is always learning and improving.  

Per Scholas’ proliferation to cities around the country speaks to their effectiveness but their commitment to evidence and data is what truly sets the organization apart.

They have been the subject of two randomized controlled evaluations and the evidence from both was promising. An initial evaluation found that individuals who completed the Per Scholas program saw their annual earnings increase by 14% to 30%. And as their 2022 Annual Report showed, the program has an 8:1 economic return generated for every dollar invested.

Historically, 85% of Per Scholas learners nationwide graduate and 80% of graduates attain employment within one year of program completion. In 2022, more than 1,700 Per Scholas graduates secured jobs paying an average hourly wage of $23.50 an hour, collectively earning nearly 85$ million in first-year wages alone. In 2023, Per Scholas aims to build on that success by educating and training 4,500 individuals — 85% of whom will be people of color and 42% of whom are between ages 18-29.

As Per Scholas has grown, they have continued to let data and evidence inform their efforts and the results speak for themselves. With the help of the American Idea Foundation, Per Scholas will be able to further its randomized controlled trials and better measure their effectiveness at training individuals for careers in information technology.

Per Scholas is demonstrating that organizations can make a huge economic impact by equipping works with the skills and education necessary for the careers of tomorrow. They are helping individuals reach their version of the American Dream and doing so in a data-driven way, which is why the American Idea Foundation is so excited to help them continue growing in the year ahead.

WIEA: Promoting Redemption in the Wisconsin Correctional System

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By: AIF Staff

In 2018, following years of bipartisan collaboration and consensus-building, Speaker Paul Ryan signed The First Step Act into law. This legislation, which united the left and the right, modernized our criminal justice system by reforming federal sentencing guidelines and establishing programs to help individuals reacclimate to their communities following interactions with America’s prison system.

But, as the name implies, this legislation was only a “first step” and with over 2 million Americans currently in jail, prison, probation, and parole, the task of effectively reducing recidivism has never been more important. And as policymakers and community leaders help individuals re-enter society and rebuild their lives, they should continue taking an evidence-based approach to reducing recidivism.

Speaker Ryan has long believed that “good policy begins with good evidence.” It’s why, in academic works like Rethinking Reentry, he has encouraged lawmakers to take a methodical, circumspect approach towards reducing recidivism. It’s also why he has consistently supported those front-line organizations who are applying evidence-based solutions to re-entry programs.

In 2023, one of the groups that Ryan’s American Idea Foundation will be partnering with is the Wisconsin Inmate Education Association. The WIEA is focused on helping men and women incarcerated in the Wisconsin prison system transform their lives through the completion of an in-prison college curriculum which provides them with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies.

WIEA’s rationale is straightforward: By encouraging inmates to embrace an alternative identity centered around faith and education, WIEA believes their intervention will lower levels of misconduct, stimulate spiritual transformations, and improve families and communities by changing behaviors for the better. WIEA’s approachis evidence-based and they measure success by looking at factors like personal transformation, levels of violence, community and family impact, and overall recidivism reduction.

To qualify for WIEA’s degree program, inmates must complete a rigorous application process detailing their academic history and criminal behaviors while also passing a Department of Corrections’ screening process. Up until this year, upon acceptance into the program, students would be transferred to Waupun Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison.

They would then attend a full week of orientation and attend classes 7 hours per day, 5 days per week. After four years, they would receive a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Trinity International University. Following graduation, they would serve as Field Mentors to help promote the program within the prison population and to serve other inmates.

This year, the Wisconsin Inmate Education Association moved their program to the Fox Lake Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison, and the Taycheedah Correctional Institution, which houses female inmates. WIEA believes that by conducting this program at medium-security facilities as opposed to a maximum-security prison, more individuals will take part and its impact will grow.

WIEA is looking to double the number of enrolled students in the next year and, in the process, they will not only transform the lives of people inside our correctional facilities but also improve the Wisconsin communities these individuals will ultimately re-enter. 

WIEA’s approach – expanding opportunities for incarcerated individuals who are trying to learn from their mistakes and doing so in an evidence-based way – will hopefully show a path forward to meaningfully reduce recidivism, strengthen our communities, and increase respect for the rule of law. It’s why Speaker Ryan is so excited to partner with WIEA as their efforts expand throughout the state.