Implementing Educational Interventions at Scale

Last registered on July 08, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Implementing Educational Interventions at Scale
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006121
Initial registration date
July 08, 2020

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
July 08, 2020, 5:03 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Denmark
Region
Full country

Primary Investigator

Name
Simon Calmar Andersen
Affiliation
Aarhus University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ulrik Hvidman
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2016-11-01
End date
2017-06-09
Keywords
Education, Governance
Additional Keywords
implementation
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Although many educational programs have demonstrated the potential to increase student learning, few examples of successful scaling exist. We study the scalability of a parent-aimed reading program that has shown promising results in an experiment within a local government. Using a nationwide experiment among the full population of 2nd-grade children in Danish public schools (n=51,312), we find that the program is less effective at large scale. We provide evidence on potential explanations for the lack of scalability, which suggests that implementation fidelity is the most important barrier to successfully scaling this type of educational interventions.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Andersen, Simon Calmar and Ulrik Hvidman. 2020. "Implementing Educational Interventions at Scale." AEA RCT Registry. July 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6121-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention consist of four books, a booklet and an online video that give parents advise on how to do shared-book reading with their children at home and how to find additional reading materials. The intervention is delivered through schools and schools are encouraged to support the use of the reading program.
Intervention Start Date
2016-11-01
Intervention End Date
2017-03-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The reading test score in the national reading test in Denmark at the end of the 2nd grade. The composite reading test score is an average of three subscales.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
All public schools in Denmark were randomized to either control condition or treatment condition. In the treatment condition, schools were invited to participate in the program. Administrative register data on all public school students' test scores and baseline characteristics allow us to test the effect of the invitation as well as the effect of schools accepting the intervention.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization was done by the researchers using a computer to randomly allocate schools to either treatment or control condition.
Randomization Unit
Randomization units were schools.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1,142 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
53,128 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
471 schools in treatment group, 671 schools in control group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
March 01, 2017, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Abstract
Although many educational programs have demonstrated the potential to increase student learning, few examples of successful scaling exist. We study the scalability of a parent-aimed reading program that has shown promising results in an experiment within a local government. Using a nationwide experiment among the full population of 2nd-grade children in Danish public schools (n=51,312), we find that the program is less effective at large scale. We provide evidence on potential explanations for the lack of scalability, which suggests that implementation fidelity is the most important barrier to successfully scaling this type of educational interventions.
Citation
Andersen, Simon Calmar and Hvidman, Ulrik, Implementing Educational Interventions at Scale (May 25, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3609833 or
URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3609833

Reports & Other Materials