Transformative
Research
The Rural Youth Institute's Transformative Research bridges research and practice to strengthen what works for rural youth. Guided by the Aspirations Incubator framework and informed by a statewide network of partners, the Rural Youth Institute identifies, tests, and evaluates promising youth development strategies in real-world rural communities. Through collaborative research and evaluation partnerships, we generate actionable evidence that helps practitioners continuously improve their work while building the case for broader adoption of effective approaches. By ensuring that research is grounded in practice, and that practice is informed by research, RYI is advancing the field of rural youth development and enabling youth to thrive across rural communities.
Partnering to Identify Effective Evidence-Based Youth Development Strategies
Current Partnerships
To learn more about the Rural Youth Institute’s transformative research and evaluation efforts, contact us: info@ruralyouthinstitute.org
Data Innovation Project – Catherine Cutler Institute, University of Southern Maine
The Data Innovation Project (DIP) is conducting an extended evaluation project focused on the Aspirations Incubator pilot site graduates as they pursue their post-secondary education and career pathways from 2023 – 2025. AI graduates will be matched by demographic with grade-level peers from school districts that hosted an AI program during the pilot phase, and DIP will collect quantitative and qualitative data from both AI and non-AI participants including:
college enrollment rates
college persistence rates
2-year degree attainment
career credential attainment
self-report surveys
focus groups
AI graduate data will be compared with non-AI participant data to help explore similarities and difference between the two groups in their post-secondary experience over time.
University of Maine – College of Education and Human Development
The RYI is currently developing a research practice partnership with Kathleen Gillon, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Maine. Her research and teaching interests focus broadly on access and equity in higher education. She is especially interested in the role of geography in the facilitation of college-going for marginalized student populations.
Her current research qualitatively explores the intersection of gender, geography and community capital and its influence on post-secondary educational opportunity for rural college students. Dr. Gillon has been published in a variety of scholarly and practitioner focused publications, including the Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Critical Scholarship in Higher Education and Student Affairs, and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.
Proven Impact, Six Years in the Making
An independent six-year evaluation by the Data Innovation Project at the University of Southern Maine finds that Aspirations Incubator participants report stronger community connection, greater openness to new experiences, deeper engagement in school, and higher rates of post-secondary enrollment than their peers. The final report closes out a rigorous, year-by-year study launched in 2017 and offers a clear answer for funders and policymakers asking whether this model belongs in more rural communities.