Purpose of the Study

This brief describes findings from a meta-analysis of third-party evaluation (TPE) studies using QED designs to determine the impact of the TAACCCT grants on students’ educational and employment outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to examine the merits of a novel data source for meta-analysis—third-party evaluation reports using QED designs—on estimating the average effects of TAACCCT funding on student-level outcomes. Our second objective was to consider the implications of meta-analysis as a methodological approach for evaluating future postsecondary education and workforce training policy. We conclude with a brief discussion of the potential for improved alignment of large-scale federal investments with rigorous evaluation and meta-analytic designs that reveal effects, and we use this information for a second report offering recommendations for future federal investments in systematic and rigorous evaluation of community and technical college education (Bragg, 2019).