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The study tracks the transitions of young adults, from high school to postsecondary education and the workforce
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, has been awarded a contract to oversee the third follow-up of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). HSLS:09 provides analysts and policymakers critical data on high school students’ educational experiences and their journey into postsecondary education and the workforce.
HSLS:09 collects data from students and parents, as well as their school administrators, counselors, and teachers, to track the transitions experienced by young adults after high school and examine their life outcomes after educational experiences.
“The third follow up will observe outcomes for a cohort of fall 2009 ninth graders approximately 15 years later, including labor force participation and income, family formation, housing and living arrangements, and other adult outcomes related to the paths students take through secondary and postsecondary education and training,” said Erin Thomsen, a research education analyst and the associate project director for the study.
RTI will enhance the third follow-up study through high-quality, innovative approaches, including a hybridized data collection strategy that prioritizes key data elements, performs extensive administrative matching, and conducts a short, complementary survey.
“Our hybridized method offers maximum coverage of sample members, high-quality data, and flexibility to the government, ensuring that the study continues to provide valuable insights into the educational and occupational trajectories of young adults,” said James Rogers, a director of systems analysis and programming at RTI who is leading this iteration of the study.
“Unlike the previous follow ups with this cohort, which included full survey data collections, we will focus on more cost-effective administrative data sources, some of which are new to us,” Thomsen said. “As we process the new data sources and overcome challenges, we will learn and innovate new solutions that could inform future data collections and broaden RTI’s capabilities for future work.”
Learn more about RTI’s work in education and workforce development
