Learning From Cluster Randomized Trials in Education: What Works, for Whom, and Under What Conditions

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Issues in Contemporary Program Evaluation in Schools

Abstract

Over the past 15 years we have seen an increase in the use of cluster randomized trials (CRTs) to test the efficacy of educational interventions. These studies are often designed with the goal of determining whether a program works, or answering the what works question. Recently, the goals of these studies have expanded to include for whom and under what conditions an intervention is effective. In this study, we examine the capacity of a set of CRTs to provide rigorous evidence about for whom and under what conditions an intervention is effective. The findings suggest that studies are often designed with the capacity to detect meaningful individual-level moderator effects, e.g. gender, but not meaningful cluster-level moderator effects, e.g. school type.

Authors

• Jessaca K. Spybrook, Western Michigan University

• Qi Zhang, Western Michigan University

• Benjamin Kelcey, University of Cincinnati

• Nianbo Dong, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill