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.
Latest Updates
NYC expands restorative justice programs: ‘This is for them to come feel safe’
The Gothamist’s Samantha Max cites Education Lab research that found using restorative practices to address student behavior can reduce arrests and suspensions.
Implementation, and Impact of High-Dosage Tutoring Programs
Today the national nonprofit Accelerate announced a new initiative that will bring together top education researchers from across the U.S. to develop rigorous research on the impact, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of various high-dosage tutoring programs. The Education Lab is a member of Accelerate’s inaugural Research Learning Community as part of a commitment to helping policymakers and school districts access the high-quality and transparent evidence they need to make informed decisions for their students.
What aspects of teaching should remain human?
Chris Berdik, for The Hechinger Report, highlights Saga Education’s partnership with the Education Lab to scale high-dosage tutoring through the Personalized Learning Initiative, where AI is playing a growing role in the delivery of tutoring.
