The central problem that the nonprofit Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy seeks to address is that U.S. social programs are often implemented with little regard to rigorous evidence, costing billions of dollars yet failing to address critical needs of our society -- in areas such as education, crime and substance abuse, and poverty reduction.  A key piece of the solution, we believe, is to provide policymakers and practitioners with clear, actionable information on what works, as demonstrated in scientifically-valid studies, that they can use to improve the lives of the people they serve.

To address this need, this site summarizes the findings from well-designed randomized controlled trials that, in our view, have particularly important policy implications -- because they show, for example, that a social intervention has a major effect, or that a widely-used intervention has little or no effect.  (More on our criteria/process here.)  We limit this discussion to well-designed randomized controlled trials based on persuasive evidence that they are superior to other study designs in measuring an intervention's true effect (hence their role as the "gold standard" in fields such as medicine, welfare policy, and education).

We welcome your suggestions (email, tel. 202-530-3284).  Click here to sign up for periodic updates.  We will conduct an April 8 workshop-- “How to Read Research Findings to Distinguish Evidence-Based Programs from Everything Else” (more info here).^NEW

INTERVENTIONS

EARLY CHILDHOOD

^UPDATEDNurse-Family Partnership (A nurse home visitation program for low-income, pregnant women):  Randomized controlled trials show major impact on life outcomes of the mothers and their children.

Perry Preschool Project (High-quality preschool for children from disadvantaged backgrounds):  Randomized controlled trial shows major impact on educational and life outcomes; we note, however, that this was a demonstration project, and it is not yet known if the results can be replicated on a broader scale in typical classroom settings.

Abecedarian Project (High-quality child care/preschool for children from disadvantaged backgrounds):  Randomized controlled trial shows major impact on educational and life outcomes; we note, however, that this was a demonstration project, and it is not yet known if the results can be replicated on a broader scale in typical classroom settings.

Ineffective:  Hawaii Healthy Start (Paraprofessional home visitation program for new mothers with children at risk of abuse/neglect): Randomized controlled trial shows no significant impact on child abuse or neglect.

Review of the Evidence:  Do Early Childhood Intervention Programs Really Work? 

EDUCATION (K-12)

Good Behavior Game (A 1st-2nd grade classroom management strategy for decreasing disruptive/aggressive behavior):  Randomized controlled trials show major reductions in students' subsequent substance abuse, and behavioral and mental health disorders.

SMART - Start Making a Reader Today (Volunteer reading tutoring program for at-risk readers in early elementary school):  Randomized controlled trial shows this low-cost intervention has sizable positive impact on students' reading ability.

Tutoring with the Lindamood Phonemic Sequencing reading curriculum (An intervention for at-risk readers in grades K-2):  Randomized controlled trial shows sizable positive impacts on reading ability for students with poor phonological processing (e.g., letter naming, and awareness of the sounds within words).

Career Academies (Small learning communities within low-income high schools that combine traditional academic courses with technical/occupational courses):  Randomized controlled trial shows sizable positive impact on earnings of many participants four years after high school graduation.

Check and Connect (Dropout prevention program for high school students with learning, emotional, and/or behavioral disabilities)  Randomized controlled trials show a sizable decrease in students' dropout rates, and increase in attendance and academic credits earned.

Success for All (A school-wide reform program, primarily for high-poverty elementary schools, with a strong emphasis on reading instruction):  Randomized controlled trial shows positive impact in raising school-wide reading achievement in grades K-2.

Small/no effect:  New York City Voucher Experiment (Program offering vouchers to low income K-4 students in public schools, to enable them to transfer to private schools):  Randomized controlled trial shows no overall impact on students' math/reading achievement, but possibly a small positive impact on the subgroup of African-Americans.

Ineffective:  Fast ForWord (Popular computerized reading intervention for at-risk readers in grades K-12):  Randomized controlled trials show no significant effect on students' reading achievement.  

No effects/adverse effects:  21st Century Community Learning Centers (Federal program that funds after-school academic/recreational programs for K-8 students in mostly high-poverty schools):   Randomized controlled trial of elementary (as opposed to middle) school Centers shows no improvement in academic achievement and adverse effects on student behavior.  The Centers' after-school programs vary in content, however, so this overall finding does not necessarily apply to each Center.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

^NEWCarrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (A comprehensive, year-round youth development program for economically disadvantaged teens)  Multi-site randomized controlled trial shows sizable reductions in teen pregnancy and births, and increases in high school graduation and college enrollment.

Big Brothers Big Sisters (Volunteer mentoring program for disadvantaged youth, ages 6-18):  Randomized controlled trial shows sizable decrease in youths' drug and alcohol use and violent behavior.

CRIME/VIOLENCE PREVENTION

^UPDATEDMultisystemic Therapy for Juvenile Offenders (A treatment targeting multiple factors linked to anti-social juvenile behavior):  Randomized controlled trials show sizable decrease in criminal behavior by juvenile offenders, but effectiveness may depend critically (i) on close adherence to the intervention’s key features and (ii) population/setting in which it is implemented.

Multi-Dimensional Treatment Foster Care (A foster care intervention for severely delinquent youths):  Randomized controlled trials show sizable effect in reducing criminal activity.

Amity Prison Therapeutic Community (Provides counseling/decision-making skills to inmates with drug problems, to prepare them for re-entry into the community):  Randomized controlled trial shows reduction in reincarceration rate, and increase in average time to reincarceration.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

LifeSkills Training (Middle school substance abuse prevention curriculum):  Randomized controlled trial shows sizable decreases in students' substance abuse. 

Ineffective:  Drug Abuse Resistance Education - DARE (Substance-abuse prevention program in elementary and middle school):  Randomized controlled trials show no significant impact on students' substance use; based on these results, DARE is testing a revised curriculum.

MENTAL HEALTH

Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Depression prevention program for youth at elevated risk of serious depression):  Randomized controlled trials show sizable effect in preventing clinical depression.

EMPLOYMENT AND WELFARE

^NEWRiverside Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program (to quickly move welfare recipients into the workforce):  Randomized controlled trial shows sizable increase in employment rates and job earnings, reduction in welfare dependency, and savings to the government, especially for single parents.

Portland Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program (to quickly move welfare recipients into the workforce):  Randomized controlled trial shows sizable increase in employment rates and job earnings, reduction in welfare dependency, and savings to the government.

^NEWLos Angeles Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program (to quickly move welfare recipients into the workforce):  Randomized controlled trial shows sizable increase in employment rates and job earnings, reduction in welfare dependency, and savings to the government.

^UPDATEDCanadian Self-Sufficiency Project (Earnings supplements for long-term welfare recipients who find full-time work and leave welfare):  Randomized controlled trials show sizable increase in participants' employment rates, job earnings, and family income; and reductions in poverty and welfare dependency.

Minnesota Family Investment Program (Earnings supplements for welfare recipients who find work):  Randomized controlled trial shows a sizable increase in employment and earnings, and reduction in poverty rates, for single-parent, long-term welfare recipients (but not other welfare recipients).

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Primary School Deworming Project (Provides low-cost drugs to children in Kenya to eliminate parasitic worms):  Randomized controlled trial shows sizable positive impact on children's health and school attendance.

Support for this project is provided by the MacArthur Foundation, William T. Grant Foundation, and Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.