Rockville, MD —What works in education? Tiered evidence is a route to identifying a broader set of proven and effective interventions for educators. Between 2010 and 2016, the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund made awards to local educational agencies and nonprofit organizations to incentivize and create strong evidence on promising strategies in education. A new report by Abt Global for the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education offers a summary of findings across i3 grantees.
Tiered Evidence: Good Stewardship of Limited Resources for Greater Impact
The report summarizes the findings from the 67 i3 evaluations that were completed by May 2017. These evaluated programs represent a variety of educational interventions for children in grades K – 12.
Recognizing that sound evidence to inform education policies and decision-making is difficult to obtain, the U.S. Department of Education awarded more than $1 billion to grantees to scale-up, validate, or develop evidence-based education programs. Funding for each level of grant was based on prior evidence, as results suggested which programs might be ready for further scale-up.
To maximize the investment, each grantee was required to fund an independent evaluation to document the implementation and outcomes of the projects. Abt led this evaluation project and also provided one-on-one technical assistance to all i3 evaluators. The new report highlights the extent to which the program met its goal of contributing to the evidence base on effective educational interventions.
Highlights from the Summary Report Include:
- Overall, the i3 program successfully incentivized and supported grantees to conduct strong implementation and impact evaluations and build evidence for the field.
- The i3 program produced a body of evidence on whether or not a range of interventions were effective at improving student outcomes.
- i3 funded four interventions with strong prior evidence to try aggressive scaling—three of four met their scaling goals and two showed positive findings.
- i3 funded 15 interventions with some prior evidence to test the effectiveness of the intervention at a broader scale—six showed positive findings that make them potentially ready for wider scaling.
- i3 funded 48 untested interventions to produce initial rigorous evidence—four produced positive findings that make them potentially ready for further development and evaluation.
“Abt’s i3 evaluation helps ensure the government’s investment in educational interventions generates high-quality evidence to inform education policy decisions and show what works in education,” said Mary Joel Holin, Abt division vice president, social and economic policy. “The i3 evaluation also boosted the field’s capacity to design and conduct rigorous education research.”
View a copy of the full report.
About Abt Global
Abt Global is a global consulting and research firm that uses data and bold thinking to improve the quality of people’s lives. From combatting infectious disease and conducting rigorous program evaluations, to ensuring safe drinking water and promoting access to affordable housing—and more—we partner with clients and communities to tackle their most complex challenges. https://www.abtglobal.com
Contact:
Amy Dunaway
Amy_Dunaway@abtassoc.com
301-347-5056
Subscribe to our bimonthly newsletters, with information about our work, staff, and current job openings, and other periodic mailings.
Read Our Latest News
Abt to Manage Australia’s Main Development Program for Fiji
The Australian Government recently awarded Abt Global a contract to managea $90 million umbrella program covering half of Australia’s development assistance to Fiji.
Abt Leads Decision Support for FCDO Land Governance Programme
Abt Global Britain has been appointed to lead the Decision Support Unit of the Land Facility, funded by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office.
Public Warning: Recruitment Phishing Scam Impersonating Abt Global
Abt Global has become aware of a phishing scheme targeting individuals with fraudulent interview requests and job offers. Abt’s secure IT systems and private applicant information have not been compromised; scammers are impersonating Abt employees, using the company name and branding to mislead and engage potential job seekers in fake recruitment processes. Scammers might reference real job openings or describe fake opportunities that generally match individuals’ professional backgrounds, with the goal of establishing communication and eventually obtaining private financial information to defraud people.The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Federal Trade Commission warn that employment scams such as this are a growing cyber threat. Abt urges anyone who is contacted about employment opportunities to exercise caution and know that:All communication from Abt Global will be from an Abt employee using the @abtglobal.com email domain (e.g.,recruiting@abtglobal.com). We do not use third-party recruiters. Abt Global recruiters will only schedule interviews for candidates who have applied for a position through our secure portal.You may view your application status through the applicant portal on Abt Global Careers.No corporate or IT systems at Abt are affected by this scam. The scammers are using Abt’s logo and employee names to impersonate the company.You can directly contact us at recruiting@abtglobal.com with any questions or concerns.Abt is committed to ensuring the safety and security of our community. We caution individuals to be vigilant in protecting personal data and vetting communication with new contacts from any company. Do not respond or provide any personal information if contacted by someone claiming to represent a company to which you did not submit a job application or profile. This scam can be perpetrated against any business and individuals who recognize and trust its name.For information on Abt recruitment practices and policies, please visit ourcareers page or emailrecruiting@abtglobal.com. To report a scam, visit:https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.
Abt is Top Private Firm in Gender Equality Report
Abt Tops 53 Private Firms in the 2024 Global Health 50/50 Gender Equality Report.