Use within-school random assignment of students as an evaluation design for school-based programs, learning implementation lessons from the TFA experiment¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The article treats random assignment of students within schools as a study design worth using despite its difficulties. It describes "the experience from one such study of Teach For America (TFA)" so that evaluators can learn from how that within-school randomization was carried out in practice between 2001 and 2004.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Random assignment of students must occur within schools, as in the TFA evaluation, rather than between schools.

Constraints¶

• The article states such studies are challenging, though it concludes they may also be feasible and generate useful evidence.

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students in schools implementing programs such as Teach For America

Target Learning Goals¶

• Rigorous evaluation of the effects of school-based programs and interventions on student outcomes

Claims¶

• Study designs that randomly assign students within schools involve trade-offs, illustrated by the Teach For America evaluation experience [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Steven Glazerman. (2012). Random Assignment Within Schools: Lessons Learned from the Teach For America Experiment. Education Finance and Policy, vol. 7, no. 2. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/random-assignment-within-schools-lessons-learned-from-the-teach-for-america-experiment