Too Good for Drugs has potentially positive effects on student behavior, with a WWC-computed domain average effect size of 0.25 that is not statistically significant¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r? · q3 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2006 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i1 In a randomized controlled trial of grades 3-4, the behavior domain average effect size favoring the intervention group was 0.25, substantively important but not statistically significant after WWC corrections. → What Works Clearinghouse 2006

Evidence¶

What Works Clearinghouse 2006¶

What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. (2006). WWC Intervention Report: Too Good for Drugs. https://www.mendezfoundation.org

q3 · i1 · causal · r?

WWC re-analysis of the Bacon (2003) randomized controlled trial (1,051 students in six elementary schools, grades 3-4) four months after program end. The WWC found the "average effect size was large enough to be considered substantively important (at least 0.25)" — the printed domain average effect size of 0.25 falls in the small range — though not statistically significant; the behavior improvement index averaged +10 percentile points (range 0 to +17).

"Although, as calculated by the WWC, none of these outcomes—individually or averaged—were found to be statistically significant the average effect size was large enough to be considered substantively important (at least 0.25)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Positive Action has positive effects on elementary school students' behavior, with a WWC domain average effect size of 0.51 and an improvement index of +19 percentile points — related
• Too Good for Violence produces statistically significant positive effects on elementary students' behavior 20 weeks after the program ends — related
• Too Good for Drugs shows no discernible effects on student knowledge, attitudes, and values across two randomized controlled trials — related
• In a randomized controlled trial, Too Good for Drugs and Violence produced statistically significant gains in perceptions of social and resistance skills and emotional competence — related
• At end of program, the largest Too Good for Drugs effect was on teacher-rated prosocial behaviors (effect size 0.52), not statistically significant after WWC correction — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The WWC rated Too Good for Drugs and Violence as having positive effects on knowledge, attitudes, and values, with a cross-study domain-average effect size of 0.42 — related
• Author-reported statistically significant program effects did not remain significant after WWC corrections for clustering and multiple comparisons — a broader claim this one bears on
• The effect on SAT math scores was positive but not statistically significant, though large enough to be substantively important (effect size at least 0.25) — related