Assessment of the Jovem de Futuro Program's Impact and Its Propagation Mechanisms in the Rio Grande do Sul State Schooling System

Last registered on April 02, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Assessment of the Jovem de Futuro Program's Impact and Its Propagation Mechanisms in the Rio Grande do Sul State Schooling System
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013259
Initial registration date
March 27, 2024

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
April 02, 2024, 11:09 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Ricardo Paes de Barros
Affiliation
INSPER
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-08-15
End date
2026-12-15
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
Educational Leadership, School Management, Impact Evaluation, Learning
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study aims to evaluate the effects of the 'Jovem de Futuro' program on high school students' academic proficiency and progression within the state schools of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Unlike previous assessments which focused solely on immediate student outcomes, this study broadens its scope to examine the program's impact on management attitudes, leadership styles, and pedagogical practices within schools. The study leverages the randomized allocation of program start dates to assess the program's impact. This design compares outcomes between schools in regions where the program commences in 2024 to those in regions where implementation is deferred until 2027. By extending the analysis beyond student performance metrics to effects on school management and pedagogical practices, the study seeks to provide a clearer understanding of the role of school management in influencing student outcomes and addressing educational inequalities.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Paes de Barros, Ricardo. 2024. "Assessment of the Jovem de Futuro Program's Impact and Its Propagation Mechanisms in the Rio Grande do Sul State Schooling System." AEA RCT Registry. April 02. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13259-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2023-09-27
Intervention End Date
2026-12-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Test scores, dropout rates, pass rates.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Principal attitudes, principal knowledge, principal skills, leadership style, management practices, school climate, pedagogical practices, school functioning
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experimental design relies on a phased implementation, with two-thirds of the regions starting the program in 2024 and the remaining one-third in 2027, with start dates randomly assigned. This setup is intended to measure the impact of the program by comparing outcomes between schools and regions participating from 2024 with those delayed until 2027, assuming random assignment ensures comparable groups.

In Brazil, high school is three years long. This design, then, compares a cohort of students from schools that received the program during all three years of their high school journey (2024-2026) with a cohort of students from schools that did not receive the program in that period.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization was done in a public lottery. First, the regions were matched in groups of 2 or 3, such that each group contained regions with comparable levels of projected educational outcomes for the horizon of the intervention. A double-blind method was implemented whereby, for each group, the Superintendents of each region picked opaque balls from an urn which contained treatment assignment inside.
Randomization Unit
Region. (All schools in each region assigned for treatment received the program).
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
27 regions whose participation dates were determined by lottery.
Sample size: planned number of observations
• Number of Schools: Approximately 890 schools in the 27 randomized regions. Number of Students: Around 300,000 secondary education students in these schools.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
• Immediate Participation (treatment): 17 regions starting in 2024.
• Delayed Participation (control): 10 regions starting in 2027.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Insper Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2024-03-20
IRB Approval Number
345/2024
Analysis Plan