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Technical Methods Report: The Estimation of Average Treatment Effects for Clustered RCTs of Education Interventions

NCEE 2009-0061
August 2009

Appendix Table B.1.  Summary of Data Sources


Study (Authors; Sponsor)a Description of Study Original and Current Study Populations Level of Clustering Outcome for Current Study Baseline Covariates
Teach for America Evaluation (Decker et al. 2004; SRF; HF, CC) Study examined the impact of teachers from Teach for America, a highly selective alternative certification program, on the academic achievement of elementary school students. Students were randomly assigned to classrooms taught by Teach for America teachers or traditional teachers in the same grade and school. 1st to 5th graders in the 2001-2002 school year; 17 schools in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mississippi Delta, and New Orleans. Current study focuses on 1st graders. Teacher Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) math score Baseline test scores in reading and math; grade level indicators; school indicators
Evaluation of Education Technologies (Dynarski et al. 2007; IES) Study examined the effects of 16 software products on students' academic achievement in 1st grade reading, 4th grade reading, 6th grade math, and algebra in 33 school districts. Within each participating school, teachers were randomly assigned to use a study product or not. For the purposes of our report, outcomes in 1st and 4th grades are used. Students in 1st grade, 4th grade, 6th grade, and algebra classes in the 2004-05 school year in 33 districts. Current study focuses on 1st graders. Teacher 1st grade Stanford-9 reading NCE score Baseline test scores; student's age and gender; teacher's gender, experience, and highest degree; school's racial/ethnic composition; percent of school's students eligible for special education and subsidized lunch
Evaluation of Comprehensive Teacher Induction Programs (Glazerman et al. 2008; IES) Study examined the effects of comprehensive teacher induction programs on teacher retention, teachers' classroom practices, and student outcomes. The programs provided beginning teachers with an orientation, mentoring sessions, and professional development. Random assignment of elementary schools took place within 17 participating districts. Beginning teachers in elementary schools within 17 low-income school districts across 13 states in the 2005-06 school year. Current study focuses on 2nd to 6th graders School District-specific administered test scores (Z-scores) Student pretest Z-scores, gender, race/ethnicity, free/reduced price lunch status, special education status, grade level; teacher's age, gender, race/ethnicity, teaching and non-teaching experience, certification status, preparation type, educational attainment
Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools (Agodini et al. 2009; IES) Study examined the relative impacts of four math curricula on first-grade mathematics achievement. The curricula were selected to represent diverse approaches to teaching elementary school math in the United States. The four curricula are Investigations in Number, Data, and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. First graders in 39 Title I schools in four districts in four states for both the original and current study. For the current study, the treatment group was defined as those in schools receiving the Saxon and Math Expressions curricula, and the control group was defined as those receiving the remaining two curricula. School ECLS-K total math assessment scale score in five math content areas ECLS-K pretest score and seven strata (block) indicator variables.
Effectiveness of Selected Supplemental Reading Comprehension Interventions (James-Burdumy et al. 2009; IES) Study examined the impacts of four reading comprehension curricula for a first cohort of fifth graders. The curricula were Project CRISS, ReadAbout, Read for Real, and Reading for Knowledge and were selected based on public submissions and ratings by an expert review panel. Schools were randomly assigned to one of the four intervention groups or to a control group 5th grade students in the 2006-2007 school year in 89 schools in 10 districts for both the original and current study. For the current study, the treatment group was defined as those in schools offering the Reading for Knowledge curriculum, and the control group includes those in schools that were assigned to the study control group. School Composite Z-Score from the Passage Comprehension Subtest of the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) and the Science and Social Studies (SS) Reading Comprehension Assessments Indicators of school urban/rural status; teacher race/ethnicity indicators; district indicators; student pretest scores on the GRADE and SS tests; Student race/ethnicity indicators; missing value indicators
a Acronyms are defined as follows: IES = Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education; SRF = Smith Richardson Foundation; HF= Hewlett Foundation; CC=Carnegie Corporation.