Found Effects

The WWC found First Things First to have no discernible effects on staying in 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 across studies (see the WWC Improvement Index Technical Paper). The improvement index represents the difference between the percentile rank of the average student in the intervention condition and the percentile rank of the average student in the comparison condition. Unlike the rating of effectiveness, the improvement index is based entirely on the size of the effect, regardless of the statistical significance of the effect, the study design, or the analyses. The improvement index can take on values between –50 and +50, with positive numbers denoting results favorable to the intervention group.

Based on the one study of First Things First that met evidence standards, the average improvement index for staying in school is –1 percentile point.

Summary

The WWC reviewed five studies of First Things First. One study met WWC evidence standards with reservations; the remaining studies did not meet WWC evidence screens. Based on this one study, the WWC found no discernible effects in the staying in school domain one year after program implementation. The evidence in this report may change as new research emerges.