Randomized Controlled Trials

Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard in research, driving some of the most important advances in fields like technology and medicine—and we’re using them to do the same in education.

A randomized controlled trial, or RCT, produces rigorous causal evidence about the efficacy and impact of policies and programs. RCTs randomly assign participants to either a “treatment group” that is offered the intervention or a “control group” that has access to all other services except for the intervention. Because of the way they are designed, RCTs provide the best possible counterfactual to compare against when evaluating the impact of a program.

RCTs are the FDA standard for clinical trials of drugs and medical devices, form the backbone of A/B testing methodology that companies like Google use to develop more effective technology, and are at the vanguard of the growing movement towards evidence-based policy, which calls for policy to be based on the best available research.

The Education Lab uses RCTs as our preferred method of project evaluation wherever possible. While RCTs can be time and resource intensive, they generate high-quality results to ensure that our partners and policymakers can make informed decisions about how to best support students.

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Latest Updates

A restorative approach to student discipline shows promise in reducing suspensions and arrests
Op-Ed
Brookings
Feb 2025

A restorative approach to student discipline shows promise in reducing suspensions and arrests

Suspensions are a common form of official discipline implemented in American schools, but can alternative approaches prove effective in reducing harmful student behavior?

NAEP scores: It’s worse than you think but there is a solution
Press Release
UChicago Education Lab
Feb 2025

NAEP scores: It’s worse than you think but there is a solution

The latest NAEP scores are devastating—but as bad as they are, the real problem is even bigger. Test scores have been declining since 2013 and then got exponentially worse during the pandemic. What is going on?

Jens Ludwig: Parents of private school students like the Lab School are also worried about the future of education
Op-Ed
The Chicago Tribune
Jan 2025

Jens Ludwig: Parents of private school students like the Lab School are also worried about the future of education

Education Lab faculty co-director Jens Ludwig pens and op-ed about parents’ concerns with America’s public schools.