Evaluation of the Ambassadors of the Evers Academy for African American Males (A-TEAAM) Mentorship Program

Last registered on October 14, 2020

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Evaluation of the Ambassadors of the Evers Academy for African American Males (A-TEAAM) Mentorship Program
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006521
Initial registration date
September 24, 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
September 25, 2020, 2:00 PM EDT

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

Last updated
October 14, 2020, 6:14 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Affiliation
University of Notre Dame

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Princeton University
PI Affiliation
University of Notre Dame, Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2020-09-28
End date
2024-12-31
Secondary IDs
Abstract
First offered by the Juanita Sims Doty Foundation (JDSF) in 2013, the Ambassadors of the Evers Academy for African American Males (A-TEAAM) mentoring program provides one-on-one and group support to young males of color in middle school through a “village of mentors” that engages them with a curriculum for character and leadership development. This programming is designed to equip participating students with the skills, knowledge, and support to increase self-esteem and confidence to overcome obstacles. JSDF is interested in measuring the impact of this program and has partnered with the Wilson-Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) to conduct an impact evaluation of A-TEAAM on student outcomes such as attendance, drop-out rate, suspension, and academic performance (e.g., grades/test scores). To measure effects of the program, we will conduct a randomized control trial and compare outcomes between (1) students referred to the program and randomly selected to participate and (2) students referred to the program but randomly selected not to participate.
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External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Jennings, Jennifer, Patrick Turner and Patrick Turner. 2020. "Evaluation of the Ambassadors of the Evers Academy for African American Males (A-TEAAM) Mentorship Program." AEA RCT Registry. October 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6521-2.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The A-TEAAM program serves young males of color (ages 11 - 14) and is intended to address the high number of children of color who are disproportionately represented in cycles of poverty. Through a weekly mentorship curriculum, the program aims to provide youth the tools they need to succeed academically, behaviorally, and emotionally. By the end of their program, youth should show an increase in self-esteem and cultural pride, decrease in disciplinary referrals, increase in positive behavior, and decrease in the number of school absences. Throughout the program, A-TEAAM employs a "village of mentors" approach that matches each student with multiple adult mentors of color in their community.

Students become eligible for the A-TEAAM program through referrals by a school administrator. The majority of referred students live in a single parent household with mothers or grandparents, and most referred students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. In addition, many of these referred students exhibit poor social skills with peers/teachers, or may be being bullied before entering A-TEAAM. About one-third of referred students would have had formal discipline issues. Notably, school administrators commit to referring students from all academic performance levels, with approximately one third each from “high,” “medium” and “low” academic tiers.
Intervention Start Date
2020-10-14
Intervention End Date
2024-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Academic and behavioral outcomes for students including attendance, drop-out rate, suspension, and academic performance (e.g., grades and test scores).
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Students that are referred to A-TEAAM by school administrators will be randomly selected for participation in the program. Randomization will occur specifically at three middle schools in Mississippi, with approximately 450 study participants in total. After students have been randomized into these groups and the study begins, LEO will monitor school outcomes into the future and compare them. Estimated differences in outcomes will be assessed using a standard intent-to-treat (ITT) model.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer from a list of students eligible for the A-TEAAM program.
Randomization Unit
Individuals
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not applicable
Sample size: planned number of observations
450 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
225 individuals in treatment, 225 individuals in control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Notre Dame
IRB Approval Date
2020-09-15
IRB Approval Number
20-08-6207