Efficiency in Organizational Structure: Experimental Evidence from Ugandan Schools

Last registered on November 15, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Efficiency in Organizational Structure: Experimental Evidence from Ugandan Schools
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0012445
Initial registration date
November 05, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
November 15, 2023, 3:52 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

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Primary Investigator

Name
Carolyn Pelnik
Affiliation
Tufts University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Viva Bartkus
PI Affiliation
University of Notre Dame
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PI Name
Wyatt Brooks
PI Affiliation
Arizona State University
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PI Name
Joseph Kaboski
PI Affiliation
University of Notre Dame
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PI Name
Kelly Rubey
PI Affiliation
University of Notre Dame
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PI Name
Maurice Sikenyi
PI Affiliation
University of Notre Dame
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-03-13
End date
2024-12-31
Keywords
Education, Firms & Productivity, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We experimentally vary the organizational structure of schools, and we assess the effect on resource allocation within schools and school efficiency. We do this by measuring head teacher and classroom teacher time allocation and student test scores, before and after the organizational change. We consider two organizational changes. First, in all treated schools we initiate a community volunteers’ program that supplements classroom instruction and enrolls out-of-school students. Second, in a subset of treated schools we also provide a highly trained and educated teaching fellow who assists in school-wide management generally. Schools are randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups or to a control group receiving no intervention.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bartkus, Viva et al. 2023. "Efficiency in Organizational Structure: Experimental Evidence from Ugandan Schools." AEA RCT Registry. November 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12445-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
In all treated schools, we initiate a community volunteers program that supplements classroom instruction with additional literacy and numeracy programming, following the principles of Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), and works to (re-)enroll out of school students. In a subset of treated schools, we also pay a highly trained and educated teaching fellow to assist in school-wide management generally. This results in one treatment group with volunteers only and another treatment group with volunteers and a fellow.
Intervention Start Date
2023-03-13
Intervention End Date
2023-12-04

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Student enrollment; student attendance; student test scores on a literacy and numeracy assessment; student participation in supplementary out-of-school literacy and numeracy instruction; head teacher time allocation between activities; classroom teacher time allocation between activities; classroom teacher attendance
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Provision of school services and amenities, including student lunch at school and access to electricity and potable water; classroom teacher per student ratio; classroom teacher retention and qualifications; student travel time to school; parental involvement with homework and reading
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomly assign 112 schools (in 112 distinct subcounties) across Uganda to a pure control group or one of two treatment arms: (1) volunteers only and (2) volunteers plus a fellow, stratifying on district. Within each school, we measure enrollment, attendance, literacy, and numeracy for P4 ("primary four") students. When a P4 class is too large for all students to be surveyed, we randomly draw 20 students for participation in the study.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
In office by a computer, using a random number generator
Randomization Unit
School
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
112 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
2045 P4 students; 112 head teachers; 112 P4 teachers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
37 schools in control; 37 schools in volunteers only; 38 schools in volunteers plus a fellow
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Notre Dame
IRB Approval Date
2023-02-06
IRB Approval Number
22-11-7519
Analysis Plan