The No-Spin Evidence Review
We summarize recent program evaluations and explain what the evidence really shows. More >
Latest No-Spin Evidence Report
Metis Associates and the City University of New York (March 2024) published an RCT of Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE) at John Jay College. ACE, adapted from the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) model, provides comprehensive supports for mostly low-income, four-year college students. This high-quality RCT found a remarkable 12 percentage point gain in bachelor's degree completion after five years.
What We Do
We provide plain-language, no-spin summaries of recent studies on “what works” in social spending. We also highlight a common problem in study reporting: Study abstracts often portray programs as effective when the study’s results don’t support such claims.
We focus on abstracts because of their central role in research communication. Many readers rely on abstracts for a study's main take-aways - due to time constraints or paywalls on full-report access - so their exaggerated claims can lead to programs being mislabeled as “evidence based” and expanded despite weak or null findings.
Each No-Spin report assigns a rating – “accurately reported,” “somewhat accurately reported,” or “not accurately reported” – based on how well the abstract reflects the study’s primary findings and notes any important limitations that could affect study validity. We explain the basis for each rating and, where needed, suggest revisions to make the abstract more accurate.
We mainly report on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) because, when feasible and well-conducted, they're considered the strongest method of evaluating program effectiveness.
Learn more about our review process.
