COOP is partnering with MDRC, a nonprofit research organization, to study the COOP Careers Fellowship. The goal of the study is to learn how the COOP Careers Fellowship helps individuals with bachelor’s degrees find better jobs and earn more, compared to individuals who did not participate in the fellowship.

MDRC and its partners are conducting the study. You can find more information about MDRC on its website: www.mdrc.org

By joining the study, you agree to allow the study team to collect information about you from COOP, and state or national agencies.

You are also agreeing to let the study team invite you to participate in voluntary follow-up surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

You may be contacted by the study team using the email address and phone number you provide to the study team and COOP.

If you receive a text message or email asking you to participate in study surveys, interviews, or focus groups and you have questions, please contact the study team.

• The information you provided to COOP as part of your COOP application and information  about your participation in COOP services. 

• Information about your jobs and how much you earn from government agencies using your  social security number. 

• Post-secondary education information from the National Student Clearinghouse or other  educational organizations. 

• You may also be contacted in the future to participate in surveys, interviews, or focus groups  about your experiences in training programs and your employment history. If you participate,  you will receive a gift card for your time. 

The study team uses a company called Giftbit for the gift cards. You will receive the gift card via  email from Giftbit. Please allow up to two weeks to get the gift card email. 

• Study registration gift card amount = $10 

• Survey gift card amount = $25 

• Interview gift card amount = $50 

• Focus group gift card amount = $25

The study team will collect your data going back three years before your study enrollment and  going forward for four years from your study enrollment. If the study gets extended, they may collect information for up to an additional 10 years.

The longer the study team can collect information about study participants the better they can evaluate the long-term outcomes such as whether you continue to increase your earnings and  better your financial well-being.

The study team follows strict rules to protect your personal data. All information collected for the study will only be used for research purposes.

The study team implements safety procedures such as using secure computers and data storage systems to protect data from being seen by anyone other than the study team.

When they report findings from the study, they will never use your  name or otherwise identify you.

The study team may be required to report information about you to the authorities if we learn that you or someone else may be in danger of harm.

The study team will obtain employment and earnings information. The study team needs your Social Security number for the purpose of matching to wage records. Wage data will only be  accessed by the study team and will only be used for research purposes. The study team will not  share these data. The study team implements safety procedures such as using secure computers and data storage systems to protect data.

LexisNexis is a database company that constantly updates information using public records (e.g.,  telecom and utility providers). When a participant’s contact information is out of date, the study team may use documentation from LexisNexis for the purpose of re-establishing communication with the individual. The study team’s contract with LexisNexis protects the personal information of our study participants, minimizing the amount of data exchanged between the companies (name, birth month and year, and recent contact information).

The study team will convene and facilitate a Learning Collaborative that will meet twice during the study.

This collaborative will be composed of study and non-study COOP participants currently in  the program or who graduated from the program.

The primary objectives of the collaborative will be to provide ongoing input on the research process, offer insights on preliminary findings, and ensure the study remains grounded in the real-world experiences of those directly impacted by the COOP program.

Feedback and insights from the collaborative will be systematically integrated into the research process. This may include adjustments to data collection methods, refinement of research questions, and contextualization of findings based on the lived experiences of COOP participants and graduates.

Not everyone will be asked to participate in the collaborative. If you are asked and you agree to participate, you will receive a $150 gift for each meeting you attend.

You’ll be provided with a study consent form to read, a study informational video to watch, and a few questions to answer to confirm your understanding.

If you agree to participate, you will then be prompted to consent by providing an electronic signature.

You will then enter some identifying information such as your name, date of birth, and contact information as well answer a few questions.

[for NY and CA candidates only]: To completely agree to participate in the study, you will also be asked to confirm you authorize the disclosure of your wage records to the study team by selecting yes and providing a second electronic signature.

The study team is asking you to provide some of the same information so that they can accurately obtain your information from COOP and other agencies.

They also want to make sure they have the best contact information to reach you for opportunities to share your experiences and feedback through voluntary surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

A lottery-like process is used to determine if you get assigned to the COOP group or the Control group.

The process is random, like flipping a coin. It’s done by a computer, not by the study team or COOP staff.

After you complete your study registration having agreed to participate in the study, COOP will  review your application and make a determination of whether you meet the fellowship criteria.

If  you meet the fellowship criteria, COOP will submit your study registration record for random  assignment.

Once random assignment is completed, COOP staff will send you an email with your study group assignment information. This could take up to two weeks following your Group Interview.

The study team is using a computer to randomly assign eligible COOP applicants to one of two  study groups.

It is completely random – like picking names out of a hat.

Applicants assigned to the  COOP group will be offered a spot in the fellowship but those assigned to the Control group will  not be offered a spot.  

This process will help the study team and COOP find out how much better participants that are  offered a spot in the fellowship fare compared to those in the Control group.

Yes.

Your participation in the study is voluntary and you don’t have to participate if you don’t want  to.

If you join now and want to leave later, you can do that, too. You'll just need to contact the study team at (877) 376-9419 or coopstudy@mdrc.org.

If you withdraw from the study, the study team may use the information collected up until the  point of withdrawal for research purposes but will not collect any additional information from or  about you.  

Also note, that if you are in the COOP group but then choose to leave the study, you will not be able to complete, reapply to, or participate in the COOP Careers Fellowship for two years from the  date of your study enrollment.