Peer reviewedERIC Number: ED676903
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Aug
Pages: 53
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Evaluation of ENpowered: Final Impact Evaluation Report
Katherine Lass1; Sarah Walsh1; Kelly Burgess1; Eric Jenner1
Grantee Submission
The purpose of this report is to present summative findings from a five-year EIR early-phase project that implemented and evaluated the ENpowered program. PRG conducted a rigorous impact and implementation evaluation of the ENpowered program's effect on middle school student outcomes. The impact study utilized a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of one semester of exposure to ENpowered on two confirmatory student outcomes: end-of-course grades in math and science. We estimate program impact with a propensity score-weighted multilevel difference-in-difference regression model that contrasts the change in course grades for students in the ENpowered program with similar students that did not participate in the program. The treatment participants consisted of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students in Chicago Public Schools that participated in one semester of ENpowered. The selection for the comparison group depended on each school's implementation of ENpowered and consisted of either a within-school comparison group of students enrolled in the same school and grade as treatment participants, or an external-school comparison group comprised of students in the same grades as treatment participants. The implementation study explores the extent to which the ENpowered program was implemented as intended at each study site during the three implementation school years (2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24). Benchmark statistical estimates for both research questions indicate that participating in the ENpowered program had no statistically significant effect on middle school students' end-of-course grades in mathematics (Research Question 1) or science (Research Question 2). Qualitative feedback from both teachers and students suggests that ENpowered appealed to both groups and has the potential to broaden students' perspectives on career pathways.
Descriptors: Program Implementation, Program Evaluation, Program Effectiveness, Middle School Students, Grades (Scholastic), Mathematics Achievement, Science Achievement, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Experiential Learning, At Risk Students, STEM Education, STEM Careers, Minority Group Students, Student Interests
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Grade 7; Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) (ED), Education Innovation and Research (EIR)
Authoring Institution: Policy & Research Group (PRG)
Identifiers - Location: Illinois (Chicago)
Grant or Contract Numbers: U411C190108
Department of Education Funded: Yes
Author Affiliations: 1The Policy & Research Group, New Orleans, LA, USA


