Found Effects

The WWC found financial incentives for teen parents to have potentially positive effects on staying in school, no discernible effects on progressing in school, and no discernible effects on completing school

Improvement index

The WWC computes an improvement index for each individual finding. In addition, within each outcome domain, the WWC computes an average improvement index for each study and an average improvement index across studies (see Technical Details of WWC-Conducted Computations). The improvement index represents the difference between the percentile rank of the average student in the intervention condition versus the percentile rank of the average student in the comparison condition. Unlike the rating of effectiveness, the improvement index is entirely based on the size of the effect, regardless of the statistical significance of the effect, the study design, or the analysis. The improvement index can take on values between -50 and +50, with positive numbers denoting favorable results. The average improvement index for staying in school is +6 percentile points, with a range of +5 to +7 percentile points. The improvement index for progressing in school is +4 percentile points. The average improvement index for completing school is +4 percentile points, with a range of +2 to +6 percentile points.

Summary

The WWC reviewed two studies on financial incentives for teen parents. One of these studies met WWC standards; the other study met WWC standards with reservations. These studies found potentially positive effects on staying in school, no discernible effects on progressing in school, and no discernible effects on completing school. The evidence presented in this report is limited and may change as new research emerges.