Impact Evaluation of EMPOWER: Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach
Stevenson, Olivia (2021). Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED617502
-
examining600Students, gradesK-7
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: March 2026
- Single Study Review (findings for Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach (EMPOWER))
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a cluster quasi-experimental design that provides evidence of effects on individuals by satisfying the baseline equivalence requirement for the individuals in the analytic intervention and comparison groups.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DIBELS composite |
Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach (EMPOWER) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample after one year of implementation;
|
119.72 |
114.81 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
DIBELS composite |
Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach (EMPOWER) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
One cohort after a second year of partial implementation;
|
103.86 |
112.34 |
No |
-- | ||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
-
Other or unknown: 100% -
- B
- A
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- H
- J
- K
- L
- P
- M
- N
- O
- Q
- R
- S
- V
- U
- T
- W
- X
- Z
- Y
- a
- h
- i
- b
- d
- e
- f
- c
- g
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- o
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
- u
- v
- x
- w
- y
North Carolina
-
Race Other or unknown 100% -
Ethnicity Other or unknown 100% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
This study was conducted in elementary schools in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. The schools chosen for this study were those with the highest minority student enrollment in the district. Additionally, the elementary schools were all Title I schools. Comparison schools were those located in the same district, served similar populations of students, and implemented a business-as-usual curriculum.
Study sample
The study included 1,336 kindergarten students from the participating elementary schools and followed 382 students into first grade. The intervention condition included 6 schools and an unreported number were in the comparison condition. The authors did not provide demographic information regarding students, classrooms, or teachers. However, the intervention schools were located in high-needs areas and over half of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The intervention schools had at least 25 percent English language learners. Comparison schools were chosen from the same district and served similar populations of students.
Intervention Group
Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach (EMPOWER) is a whole-school program that provides support intended to improve academic, non-cognitive, and social and emotional outcomes. EMPOWER is designed to be implemented in schools with all grades from kindergarten to grade 12, but in this study was implemented only in elementary schools. The elementary schools implemented a dual-language immersion magnet school model with a rigorous curriculum. The model emphasizes four strategies: 1) policies to promote diverse student participation in the magnet schools beginning in kindergarten; 2) professional development for educators to support rigorous and culturally responsive instruction; 3) wrap-around supports for students that included a non-cognitive curriculum and counseling for students with high needs and 4) family engagement, including family outreach committees and liaisons. Two cohorts of students in 6 elementary schools were enrolled in EMPOWER schools for 2 years, during kindergarten and first grade. During the second year of implementation, the COVID-19 pandemic led to implementation challenges due to school closures, the use of online learning, and restrictions on in-person gatherings.
Comparison Group
The schools in the comparison condition provided business-as-usual instruction and did not implement the EMPOWER program.
Support for implementation
EMPOWER was funded through an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant.
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: February 2026
- Single Study Review (findings for Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach (EMPOWER))
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a cluster quasi-experimental design that provides evidence of effects on individuals by satisfying the baseline equivalence requirement for the individuals in the analytic intervention and comparison groups.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
North Carolina End-of-Grade Mathematics Assessment |
Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach (EMPOWER) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample after one year of implementation;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
North Carolina End-of-Grade Mathematics Assessment |
Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach (EMPOWER) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample after two years of partial implementation;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
-
Other or unknown: 100% -
- B
- A
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- H
- J
- K
- L
- P
- M
- N
- O
- Q
- R
- S
- V
- U
- T
- W
- X
- Z
- Y
- a
- h
- i
- b
- d
- e
- f
- c
- g
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- o
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
- u
- v
- x
- w
- y
North Carolina
-
Race Other or unknown 100% -
Ethnicity Other or unknown 100% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
This study was conducted in middle schools in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. The schools chosen for this study were those with the highest minority student enrollment in the district. Comparison schools were located in the same district, served similar populations of students, and implemented a business-as-usual curriculum.
Study sample
The study included 600 students from sixth grade through seventh grade. The intervention condition included 5 schools, and an unreported number were in the comparison condition. The authors did not provide demographic information regarding students, classrooms, or teachers. However, the intervention schools were located in high-needs areas and over half of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Comparison schools were chosen from within the same district and served similar populations of students.
Intervention Group
Expanding Magnet Program Options and Widening Education Reach (EMPOWER) is a whole-school program that provides support intended to improve academic, non-cognitive, and social and emotional outcomes. EMPOWER is designed to be implemented in schools with all grades from kindergarten to grade 12, but in this study was implemented only in secondary schools. The secondary schools implemented an IB or STEM magnet school model consisting of four overarching strategies: policies to promote diverse student participation in the magnet schools; 2) professional development for educators to support rigorous and culturally responsive instruction; 3) wrap-around supports for students that included a non-cognitive curriculum and counseling for students with high needs and 4) family engagement, including family outreach committees and liaisons. Two cohorts of sixth-grade students in middle schools received the IB or STEM EMPOWER intervention for 3 years, from sixth through eighth grade, and the study followed the students during sixth and seventh grade. During the second year of implementation, the COVID-19 pandemic led to implementation challenges due to school closures, the use of online learning, and restrictions on in-person gatherings.
Comparison Group
The schools in the comparison condition provided business-as-usual instruction and did not implement the EMPOWER program.
Support for implementation
EMPOWER was funded through an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).