DC math impacts of about one-third of a standard deviation are similar in magnitude to New Orleans reforms and larger than some well-known interventions¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? The estimated DC math impacts (about one-third of a standard deviation) are similar in magnitude to New Orleans post-Katrina reform impacts and larger than some well-known education interventions. → Dallas Dotter 2021
Evidence¶
Dallas Dotter 2021¶
Dallas Dotter, Duncan Chaplin, Maria Bartlett. (2021). Impacts of School Reforms in Washington, DC on Student Achievement. Washington, DC: Mathematica. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/impacts-of-school-reforms-in-washington-dc-on-student-achievement
q2 · i? · causal · r2
The brief's comparative framing reports DC math impacts of "one-third of a standard deviation", comparable to New Orleans reforms and larger than Success for All and Tennessee class size reductions. This magnitude is stated descriptively; the brief prints no standardized effect size statistic (e.g. d or g), so no coded impact is warranted. Comparisons are narrative, not a formal synthesis.
"At one-third of a standard deviation for math, the impacts we find in DC are similar in magnitude to those observed for math in New Orleans, where major school reforms were implemented starting in 2006–2007, immediately after hurricane Katrina, and larger than for some well-known education interventions like Success for All and the class size reductions in Tennessee."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- After three years with a new principal, the average DCPS student's reading achievement increased by 4 percentile points (0.09 standard deviations) relative to retained-principal comparison schools — related
- Achievement gains under new principals were larger and happened faster in DCPS middle schools than in elementary schools — related
- Input-based incentives produce achievement gains at lower cost than major education reforms of recent decades — related
- Paying middle-school students for attendance, behavior, uniforms, and homework yields marginally significant reading gains and non-significant math gains in Washington, DC — reports the opposite
- The DC reforms were associated with grade 8 math gains, especially for cohorts with more exposure, but not grade 8 reading gains — related
- New principals' math achievement gains followed a similar trend to reading but were smaller — related
- Learning deficits in math/science were larger than in other subjects (about 0.17 SD smaller achievement) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
dc-math-impacts-one-third-sd-new-orleans-comparison |
title |
DC math impacts of about one-third of a standard deviation are similar in magnitude to New Orleans reforms and larger than some well-known interventions |
description |
DC math impacts of about one-third of a standard deviation are similar in magnitude to New Orleans reforms and larger than some well-known interventions |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2021 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-09 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — dallas-dotter-2021 |
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