much of these results were to teen challenge's benefit, and the high success rates (up to 86%) he found have been quoted in numerous teen challenge and christian counseling websites. according to a 2001 "new york times" item, some social scientists complain that the 86 percent success rate of teen challenge disregards those who dropped out of the program, and that like many private and religious organizations, teen challenge selects its clients. teen challenge reports that 25 to 30 percent typically drop out in the program's first four-month phase, and 10 percent more in the next eight months. in their testimony before the united states house committee on ways and means, texas freedom network education fund, have claimed that the much-quoted success rates "dramatically distort the truth", due to the lack of reference to the drop-out rate. doug wever, author of "the teen challenge therapeutic model", stated, "i would respectfully suggest that the texas freedom network's position here is overstated in that it's not unusual at all for the research design of effectiveness studies to look only at graduates; therefore the outcomes of these independent studies do provide a legitimate and dramatic basis for comparison given the results. at the same time, teen challenge must be careful to communicate what has actually been measured."