Multisite trials, which are being used with increasing frequency in education and evaluation research, provide an exciting opportunity for learning about how the effects of interventions or programs are distributed across sites. In particular, these studies can produce rigorous estimates of a cross-site mean effect of program assignment…

In this article, the author shares his comments on statistical analysis for multisite trials, and focuses on the contribution of Stephen Raudenbush, Sean Reardon, and Takako Nomi to future research. Raudenbush, Reardon, and Nomi provide a major contribution to future research on variation in program impacts by showing how to use multisite trials…

The present article considers a fundamental question in evaluation research: "By how much do program effects vary across sites?" The article first presents a theoretical model of cross-site impact variation and a related estimation model with a random treatment coefficient and fixed site-specific intercepts. This approach eliminates…

This paper uses data from the Head Start Impact Study (HSIS), a nationally representative multisite randomized trial, to quantify variation in effects of Head Start during 2002-2003 on children's cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes relative to the effects of other local alternatives, including parent care. We find that (1) treatment and control…

To date, evaluation research and policy analysis have focused mainly on average program impacts and paid little systematic attention to their variation. Recently, the growing number of multi-site randomized trials that are being planned and conducted make it increasingly feasible to study "cross-site" variation in impacts. Important…

Participants in Comprehensive Employment and Training Act-sponsored classroom training, on the job-training, and subsidized work experience were compared to a Current Population Survey sample. Female participants in all types of training had increased earnings (primarily due to increased employment), while males did not. (GDC)

This paper describes a place-based research demonstration program to promote and sustain employment among residents of selected public housing developments in U.S. cities. Because all eligible residents of the participating public housing developments were free to take part in the program, it was not possible to study its impacts in a classical…

This monograph presents results from a study of the Texas Worker Adjustment Demonstration, a 2,192-person randomized experimental evaluation of reemployment programs for displaced workers conducted at three Texas sites during 1984-85. It describes in detail: (1) the background, design, conduct, and content of the programs at each demonstration…

This paper poses a question of direct relevance for welfare administrators, program operators, and policy makers: What management practices, program strategies, and local conditions are key to running effective welfare-to-work programs? To address this question, the present analysis links detailed measures of program characteristics to valid and…

A large-scale study of the effects of the Job Training Partnership Act Title II-A program (n=21,000) showed modest positive earnings impacts for adults and cost-effective returns for society. However, net benefits for out-of-school youth and for society were negative. (SK)

This article presents lessons learned from an innovative employment and training program for dislocated workers. It provides specific information about program design and serves as a prototype for how social experimentation can be used by state and local governments. (Author/LMO)

This paper examines how controlling statistically for baseline covariates (especially pretests) improves the precision of studies that randomize schools to measure the impacts of educational interventions on student achievement. Part I of the paper introduces the concepts, issues, and options involved. Parts II and III present empirical findings…

The Accelerated Schools Approach is a whole-school reform being implemented in more than 1,000 U.S. elementary and middle schools. The program is characterized by a school structure that sets high expectations for students and teachers, a governance structure with broad teacher participation, and a "powerful learning" approach to…

Explores the possibility of randomly assigning groups (or clusters) of individuals to a program or control group to estimate the impact of programs designed to affect whole groups. Applies the cluster-assignment approach to the evaluation of education programs targeting whole schools. Discusses statistical implications of the method. (SLD)

A study explored which nonexperimental comparison group methods provide the most accurate estimates of the impacts of mandatory welfare-to-work programs and whether the best methods work well enough to substitute for random assignment experiments. Findings were compared for nonexperimental comparison groups and statistical adjustment procedures…