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Quantum Opportunities Program

Public Health & Prevention: Community-based
Benefit-cost methods last updated December 2024.  Literature review updated January 2019.
The Quantum Opportunities Program (QOP) provides year-round services for disadvantaged high school students. The program's main goal is to improve academic deficiencies among high school-aged youth with low grades who are at risk of dropping out of school. Students enroll as they enter high school; are mentored by program coordinators; and engage in 250 hours of activity in each of three areas every year—education, community service and development activities meant to reduce risky behavior, and promote cultural awareness and/or promote recreation. Students are also provided financial incentives, through stipends and bonuses, for participating in QOP activities and remaining in school.
 
ALL
BENEFIT-COST
META-ANALYSIS
CITATIONS
For an overview of WSIPP's Benefit-Cost Model, please see this guide. The estimates shown are present value, life cycle benefits and costs. All dollars are expressed in the base year chosen for this analysis (2023).  The chance the benefits exceed the costs are derived from a Monte Carlo risk analysis. The details on this, as well as the economic discount rates and other relevant parameters are described in our Technical Documentation.
Benefit-Cost Summary Statistics Per Participant
Benefits to:
Taxpayers $12,702 Benefits minus costs ($17,340)
Participants $12,616 Benefit to cost ratio $0.54
Others $11,638 Chance the program will produce
Indirect ($16,193) benefits greater than the costs 32%
Total benefits $20,762
Net program cost ($38,101)
Benefits minus cost ($17,340)

^WSIPP’s benefit-cost model does not monetize this outcome.

^^WSIPP does not include this outcome when conducting benefit-cost analysis for this program.

Meta-analysis is a statistical method to combine the results from separate studies on a program, policy, or topic to estimate its effect on an outcome. WSIPP systematically evaluates all credible evaluations we can locate on each topic. The outcomes measured are the program impacts measured in the research literature (for example, impacts on crime or educational attainment). Treatment N represents the total number of individuals or units in the treatment group across the included studies.

An effect size (ES) is a standard metric that summarizes the degree to which a program or policy affects a measured outcome. If the effect size is positive, the outcome increases. If the effect size is negative, the outcome decreases. See Estimating Program Effects Using Effect Sizes for additional information on how we estimate effect sizes.

The effect size may be adjusted from the unadjusted effect size estimated in the meta-analysis. Historically, WSIPP adjusted effect sizes to some programs based on the methodological characteristics of the study. For programs reviewed in 2024 or later, we do not make additional adjustments, and we use the unadjusted effect size whenever we run a benefit-cost analysis.

Research shows the magnitude of effects may change over time. For those effect sizes, we estimate outcome-based adjustments, which we apply between the first time ES is estimated and the second time ES is estimated. More details about these adjustments can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Meta-Analysis of Program Effects
Outcomes measured Treatment age Primary or secondary participant No. of effect sizes Treatment N Effect sizes (ES) and standard errors (SE) used in the benefit-cost analysis Unadjusted effect size (random effects model)
First time ES is estimated Second time ES is estimated
ES SE Age ES SE Age ES p-value
Public assistance
Any form of welfare assistance, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).
14 Primary 2 636 -0.261 0.343 23 -0.261 0.343 23 -0.261 0.446
Teen births under age 18
Becoming a parent before age 18.
14 Primary 2 659 -0.221 0.231 18 -0.221 0.231 18 -0.221 0.338
Food assistance
Receipt of food assistance, such as from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
 14 Primary 2 636 -0.203 0.322 23 -0.203 0.322 23 -0.203 0.529
Crime
Any criminal conviction according to court records, sometimes measured through charges, arrests, incarceration, or self-report.
 14 Primary 2 636 -0.139 0.350 23 -0.139 0.350 31 -0.139 0.692
Regular smoking
Smoking tobacco on a regular basis.
 14 Primary 1 580 -0.068 0.284 23 -0.068 0.284 33 -0.068 0.810
Employment^^
Any employment, including part-time work.
14 Primary 2 636 0.099 0.250 23 0.000 0.000 24 0.099 0.694
Test scores
Standardized, validated tests of academic achievement.
14 Primary 1 580 0.041 0.213 18 0.041 0.213 18 0.041 0.847
Persistence into 3rd year^^
Completion of the second year and enrollment into a third year of higher education in a 2- or 4-year institution.
 14 Primary 1 580 0.064 0.391 23 0.064 0.391 23 0.064 0.869
Persistence into 2nd year^^
Completion of the first year and re-enrollment in the second year of higher education in a 2- or 4-year institution.
 14 Primary 1 580 0.107 0.357 23 0.107 0.357 23 0.107 0.764
Graduate with 4-year degree
Graduate with a degree from a 4-year higher education institution.
 14 Primary 1 580 0.108 0.263 23 0.108 0.263 23 0.108 0.683
Enroll in 4-year college
Enroll in a 4-year higher education institution.
 14 Primary 2 636 0.149 0.272 23 0.149 0.272 23 0.149 0.584
High school graduation
On-time completion of high school with a diploma (excluding GED attainment).
 14 Primary 2 662 0.293 0.204 18 0.293 0.204 18 0.293 0.151
Teen births (second generation)
Being the child of a mother aged younger than 18 at birth. 
1 Secondary 2 659 -0.221 0.231 18 -0.221 0.231 18 -0.221 0.338
Teen pregnancy (under age 18)^
Becoming pregnant (or getting someone else pregnant) before age 18.
14 Primary 1 580 0.000 0.274 18 n/a n/a n/a 0.000 1.000
GED attainment^
Successful attainment of a General Educational Development (GED) credential.
 14 Primary 2 636 0.203 0.363 18 n/a n/a n/a 0.203 0.576
Grade point average^
Non-standardized measure of student performance calculated across subjects.
14 Primary 1 580 -0.041 0.213 18 n/a n/a n/a -0.041 0.847
Suspensions/expulsions^
In-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, or expulsions from school
 14 Primary 1 580 -0.100 0.249 18 n/a n/a n/a -0.100 0.688
Substance use^
Nonspecified substance use (i.e., alcohol, cannabis, or illicit drugs) that does not rise to the level of "disordered."
 14 Primary 1 580 -0.055 0.361 23 n/a n/a n/a -0.055 0.878
Enroll in any college^
Enroll in either a 2-year or 4-year higher education institution.
 14 Primary 2 636 0.404 0.357 23 n/a n/a n/a 0.404 0.257
Graduate with any degree^
Graduate with a degree from either a 2-year or 4-year higher education institution.
 14 Primary 1 580 -0.054 0.263 23 n/a n/a n/a -0.054 0.836
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1In addition to the outcomes measured in the meta-analysis table, WSIPP measures benefits and costs estimated from other outcomes associated with those reported in the evaluation literature. For example, empirical research demonstrates that high school graduation leads to reduced crime. These associated measures provide a more complete picture of the detailed costs and benefits of the program.

2“Others” includes benefits to people other than taxpayers and participants. Depending on the program, it could include reductions in crime victimization, the economic benefits from a more educated workforce, and the benefits from employer-paid health insurance.

3“Indirect benefits” includes estimates of the net changes in the value of a statistical life and net changes in the deadweight costs of taxation.
Detailed Monetary Benefit Estimates Per Participant
Affected outcome: Resulting benefits:1 Benefits accrue to:
Taxpayers Participants Others2 Indirect3 Total
Crime Criminal justice system $1,047 $0 $2,590 $524 $4,161
High school graduation Labor market earnings associated with high school graduation $7,185 $16,926 $9,211 $0 $33,322
Costs of higher education ($1,085) ($1,642) ($492) ($542) ($3,761)
Regular smoking Health care associated with smoking $306 $87 $316 $153 $861
Mortality associated with smoking $3 $6 $0 $105 $115
Public assistance Public assistance $3,627 ($1,379) $0 $1,814 $4,062
Food assistance Food assistance $1,608 ($1,404) $0 $804 $1,008
Subtotals $12,692 $12,593 $11,625 $2,858 $39,767
From secondary participant
Teen births (second generation) Labor market earnings associated with high school graduation $11 $25 $13 $0 $49
K-12 grade repetition $1 $0 $0 $0 $1
Health care associated with smoking $0 $0 $0 $0 $1
Costs of higher education ($1) ($2) ($1) ($1) ($5)
Mortality associated with smoking $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Subtotals $10 $23 $13 $0 $45
Program cost Adjustment for deadweight cost of program $0 $0 $0 ($19,051) ($19,051)
Totals $12,702 $12,616 $11,638 ($16,193) $20,762
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Detailed Annual Cost Estimates Per Participant
Annual cost Year dollars Summary
Program costs $5,000 2000 Present value of net program costs (in 2023 dollars) ($38,101)
Comparison costs $0 2000 Cost range (+ or -) 30%
Average cost per youth is $25,000 for five years. We used a 30% uncertainty estimate around this figure because the average costs vary widely by site, as reported by Maxfield, M., Schirm, A., & Rodriguez-Planas, N. (2003). The Quantum Opportunity Program demonstration: Implementation and short-term impacts (Document No. PR03-18). Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, p. 12.
The figures shown are estimates of the costs to implement programs in Washington. The comparison group costs reflect either no treatment or treatment as usual, depending on how effect sizes were calculated in the meta-analysis. The cost range reported above reflects potential variation or uncertainty in the cost estimate; more detail can be found in our Technical Documentation.
Benefits Minus Costs
Benefits by Perspective
Taxpayer Benefits by Source of Value
Benefits Minus Costs Over Time (Cumulative Discounted Dollars)
The graph above illustrates the estimated cumulative net benefits per-participant for the first fifty years beyond the initial investment in the program. We present these cash flows in discounted dollars. If the dollars are negative (bars below $0 line), the cumulative benefits do not outweigh the cost of the program up to that point in time. The program breaks even when the dollars reach $0. At this point, the total benefits to participants, taxpayers, and others, are equal to the cost of the program. If the dollars are above $0, the benefits of the program exceed the initial investment.

Citations Used in the Meta-Analysis

Hahn, A., Leavitt, T., & Aaron, P. (1994). Evaluation of the Quantum Opportunities Program (QOP): Did the program work? A report on the post secondary outcomes and cost effectiveness of the QOP program (1989-1993). Waltham, MA: Brandeis University, Center for Human Resources.

Lattimore, C.B., Mihalic, S.F., Grotpeter, J.K., & Taggart, R. (1998). Blueprints for violence prevention, book four: The Quantum Opportunities Program (Document No. NCJ 174197). Boulder: University of Colorado, Boulder; Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.

Maxfield, M., Schirm, A., & Rodriguez-Planas, N. (2003). The Quantum Opportunity Program demonstration: Implementation and short-term impacts (Document No. PR03-18). Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research.

Schirm, A., Stuart, E., & McKie, A. (2006). The Quantum Opportunity Program Demonstration: Final impacts (Document No. PR06- 70). Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research.