Life Outcome Data:

• Except for alcohol abuse, the incidence of legal problems and treatment issues tended to diminish after program participation
• Improved self-confidence as a result of receiving recognition as outstanding students was reported by 88 percent of study members.
• Areas of highest satisfaction indicated by participants on the Impact Survey were their children, expectations for the future, and job skills.
• The group rating on the Quality of Life Inventory showed overall levels of satisfaction consistently above the normative mean. Self-Esteem, Goals and Values, Helping and Children were at a very high level relative to the general population while Money was the only category that was less than satisfactory.
• High satisfaction ratings attained by individuals whose highest educational level was ABE, ESL and Literacy are equal to individuals achieving doctoral degrees. This suggests that that valuation of education in terms of credits and degrees may not be a sound barometer of individual satisfaction.

While statistical tests show meaningful trends, they tend to depersonalize the data. Another less formal method of looking at the results provides, in the opinion of this reviewer at least, a more meaningful portrait of the normative group that has been the focus of this study. In effect, these are 70 individuals who have to some degree distinguished themselves to the point that they were recognized as outstanding students.

While some of the analyses are vulnerable to the uncontrollable impact of time, i.e. mean age and to some extent family characteristics, the QOLI data provide a reflection on life. The Scattergraphs provided in Appendix B offer a snapshot of the participant group in a way that allows the reader to see each of the 70 individuals and understand how the group is distributed across the range of possible scores. Comparing the relative elevation of the group across two life areas or the obvious “spreading out” of scores within a particular area are significant.

Hopefully, readers will view the Scattergraphs and find themselves responding with “Wow, look at that person!” This type of analysis makes the data alive and meaningful and that is good because this study is not about tables and charts, it is about people. Having spent a great deal of time looking at the numbers, one fact stands out above all others; the participants in this study are, all things considered, satisfied with their lives and optimistic about their future.