No Spin, Just Evidence
We seek to distinguish credible findings of program effectiveness from the many others that claim to be, through an easy-to-read, no-spin digest of recent program evaluation findings.
The Merits of Prespecification for Research Integrity: A New Publication on the Nurse-Family Partnership Illustrates a Win-Win
Highlights: We discuss the value and feasibility of “prespecification” – the publication of a study’s analysis plan prior to estimating program impacts – and provide an illustration using a recently published study. In part, prespecification is intended to protect...Why replication of positive RCT findings is essential: A tale of two programs aimed at increasing college graduation rates
Highlights: Replication of promising findings from initial randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is critical to building evidence that policymakers and program operators can rely on. We discuss findings of replication RCTs of two programs that showed the potential, in...National RCT of “Year Up” Program Finds Major, Five-Year Earnings Gains for Low-Income, Minority Young Adults
New findings from a national randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Year Up workforce training program show earnings gains of 30-40% ($7,000-$8,000) per year, sustained over five years, for low-income, mainly minority young adults.These earnings gains are among the largest ever found in a high-quality RCT in the field of workforce development…
COVID’s hydroxychloroquine lesson applies to social policy, too
Recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) refute the claim that hydroxychloroquine is a viable medical intervention for COVID-19, and show that policymakers erred in touting its effectiveness based on less rigorous studies. The lesson? It’s critical to build and...Key Findings Misreported in Federal Evaluation of HHS Program for Low-Income Families
Highlights: We discuss recent findings of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the federal Assets for Independence (AFI) program, designed to help low-income families increase savings so as to build asset ownership (e.g., ownership of a home or business, or...Newly-published study of federal Job Corps program inaccurately claims to demonstrate long-term positive effects
Highlights: We discuss newly-published long-term findings from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the federal Job Corps program, the nation’s largest residential career training program for at-risk youth. We believe this was a well-conducted RCT that,...Second RCT of Nevada reemployment program has found sizable earnings gains, providing actionable evidence for U.S. policy post-pandemic
Highlights: New findings from a large randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Nevada’s Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) program for unemployment claimants show that this low-cost program—$250 per participant—produced earnings gains of 15 percent ($8,460)...Second RCT of ASAP program for low-income students finds large impacts on college graduation, provides actionable evidence on how to increase graduation rates nationwide
Highlights: This report highlights new findings from a large, high-quality randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the ASAP program for low-income community college students in Ohio. The study found that the program nearly doubled students’ rate of college graduation...Disappointing Findings and Moral Courage—The Camden Health Care “Hotspotting” Randomized Trial
Highlights: This report discusses new findings from a well-conducted randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Camden Coalition’s hotspotting program for patients with very high use of health care services (“superutilizers”). The program has been heralded in the...Why most non-RCT program evaluation findings are unreliable (and a way to improve them)
Highlights: Well-conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the strongest method of evaluating a program’s effectiveness. But, for some programs, RCT evidence may not be available. In these cases, policy officials often look to...Showing 10 of 41 Reviews