Education in Emergencies: Evidence from Large-Scale Randomized Trials in Five Countries

Last registered on July 21, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Education in Emergencies: Evidence from Large-Scale Randomized Trials in Five Countries
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009779
Initial registration date
July 20, 2022

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 21, 2022, 12:19 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
India
Region
Country
Kenya
Region
Country
Nepal
Region
Country
Philippines
Region
Country
Uganda
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Claire Cullen
Affiliation
University of Oxford
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Noam Angrist
PI Affiliation
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Peter Bergman
PI Affiliation
UT - Austin
PI Name
Shwetlena Sabarwal
PI Affiliation
World Bank
PI Name
Moitshepi Matsheng
PI Affiliation
Youth Impact

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2020-11-07
End date
2023-01-14
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
I10, I20, I24, I25
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 2 billion people lived in countries affected by conflict, climate shocks, or disease. During these emergencies, schools often close, necessitating interventions that can complement or substitute traditional schooling. We present results from large-scale randomized trials across five countries to test the impact of delivering phone-based, remote instruction to children and their caregivers during COVID-19.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Angrist, Noam et al. 2022. "Education in Emergencies: Evidence from Large-Scale Randomized Trials in Five Countries." AEA RCT Registry. July 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9779-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We test the impact of a phone-based 'low tech' education program that involved weekly maths instruction phone calls and SMSs to households in low and middle income countries.
Intervention Start Date
2020-12-07
Intervention End Date
2022-07-16

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Student learning outcomes
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We use randomised controlled trials to estimate impact. Households were assigned to either a control or treatment group.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
randomization done in office by a computer on stata
Randomization Unit
In some countries, it was individually randomised, in others, at cluster level (class-grade)
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
300 for clustered trials
Sample size: planned number of observations
20000
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
20000 students
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Columbia University Teacher's College
IRB Approval Date
2022-05-02
IRB Approval Number
21-384 Protocol
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