Effective Families or Effective Schools? Experimental Evidence on Fostering Children's Numeracy

Last registered on October 07, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Effective Families or Effective Schools? Experimental Evidence on Fostering Children's Numeracy
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015545
Initial registration date
March 31, 2025

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 03, 2025, 1:10 PM EDT

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

Last updated
October 07, 2025, 12:20 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Colombia
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Alessandro Toppeta
Affiliation
Stockholm University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Michele Giannola
PI Affiliation
University of Naples Federico II
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PI Name
Samuel Berlinski
PI Affiliation
Inter-American Development Bank
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2021-12-01
End date
2025-09-01
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study two programs designed to enhance the numeracy skills of primary school-age children in Colombia. One program supported parents by providing them guidance using SMS and WhatsApp, while the other supported teacher by providing formal training on effective teaching strategies though an in-service professional development program. We compare their relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, and study potential complementarities or substitutability between the two programs by conducting a Randomized Controlled Trial, randomly assigning children to one of four groups: (1) parenting program only, (2) teacher training program only, (3) both programs, or (4) no program participation.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Berlinski, Samuel , Michele Giannola and Alessandro Toppeta. 2025. "Effective Families or Effective Schools? Experimental Evidence on Fostering Children's Numeracy." AEA RCT Registry. October 07. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15545-1.1
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2021-12-01
Intervention End Date
2023-12-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Children's numeracy and literacy skills are evaluated using the Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) and Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA).
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Parental investments and teachers’ practices.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
A randomized control trial is conducted with children randomly assigned to a treatment: only a parenting intervention, only a teacher intervention, both interventions, or no intervention.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer (using STATA).
Randomization Unit
Teacher training randomized at the school level.
Parenting intervention randomized at the individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Around 50 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
Around 1200 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Around 300 children being randomly assigned to receive both interventions, around 300 children receiving only the parenting intervention, around 300 children receiving only the teacher intervention, and around 300 children receiving no intervention.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Comité de Ética Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Física y Naturales (ACCEFYN)
IRB Approval Date
2021-10-27
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials