Evidence Reports

SSRN (October 2024) posted long-term RCT findings for Sourdun, a French “Boarding School of Excellence” for middle and high school students from disadvantaged communities. This high-quality RCT found a remarkable 14 percentage point decrease in the high school dropout rate and 16 percentage point increase in graduation from higher education, 9-12 years after study entry.

AERA Open published long-term RCT findings for Early Colleges in North Carolina (providing grade 9-13 students an opportunity to earn an associate degree or college credit during high school). Despite claims of large effects in the study’s abstract, its primary finding was a modest effect (2.4 percentage points, near statistically significant) on the rate of bachelor’s degree completion at the 10-year mark.

Wested (April 2024) posted an RCT of ASSISTments, a low-cost online tool that assists 7th graders with math independent practice (e.g., homework) and gives teachers real-time reports on student performance. This high-quality RCT found a sizable gain (~31% of a grade-level) in math scores on the state test at 2 year follow-up.

Mobility posted (October 2024) long-term RCT results for Project QUEST's occupational training of low-income adults for well-paying healthcare jobs. This high-quality RCT found a 15-20% gain in annual earnings at the 14 year follow-up - an extremely promising (albeit not quite definitive) result.

NBER (May 2024) posted an RCT of Saga Technology, a program that provides 9th graders with high-dosage math tutoring and engagement with educational technology. This large, high-quality RCT found sizable gains (~86% of a grade-level) in math achievement on end-of-year district tests.