Developing Outcome Measures for the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16 to 18 who are experiencing difficulties in traditional high school. The program provides classroom instruction and other structured activities to young people at 40 different sites. This capstone report describes some of RAND's research and analyses on the ChalleNGe program from late 2017 through mid-2020. Using a mixed-methods approach, the RAND team developed a program logic model, carried out a seriesof site visits, and planned and executed numerous analytic efforts. Many of the results of specific analytic efforts are described in other reports; here, the authors focus on identifying and recommending strategies for programs to measure participants' long-term outcomes. Consistently measuring long-term outcomes will allow the program to determine overall progress toward meeting its mission of ensuring that program participants are prepared for success as productive citizens.