Download or read book Estimating Causal Effects of Education Interventions Using a Two Rating Regression Discontinuity Design written by Kristin E. Porter and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A valuable extension of the single-rating regression discontinuity design (RDD) is a multiple-rating RDD (MRRDD). To date, four main methods have been used to estimate average treatment effects at the multiple treatment frontiers of an MRRDD: the "surface" method, the "frontier" method, the "binding-score" method, and the "fuzzy instrumental variables" method. This paper uses a series of simulations to evaluate the relative performance of each of these four methods under a variety of different data-generating models. Focusing on a two-rating RDD (2RRDD), the methods are compared in terms of their bias, precision, and mean squared error when implemented as they most likely would be in practice--using optimal bandwidth selection. The lessons learned from the simulations to a real-world example that uses data from a study of an English learner reclassification policy are also applied. Overall, this paper makes valuable contributions to the literature on MRRDDs in that it makes concrete recommendations for choosing among MRRDD estimation methods, for implementing any chosen method using local linear regression, and for providing accurate statistical inferences. Appended are: (1) Computing Average Frontier Effects for Models 3 and 4 in Our Simulations; (2) Estimation in Theory: Using Full Information; (3) Deriving Correct Model Specifications for the Fuzzy IV Method; (4) Domain or Bandwidth Selection; and (5) Simulation Results When Using Local Linear Regression, Not Including Other Rating as a Covariate.

Download or read book Behavioral Science Policy Volume 2 Issue 1 written by Craig Fox and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2016-11-22 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The success of nearly all public- and private- sector policies hinges on the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations. Today, such behaviors are better understood than ever, thanks to a growing body of practical behavioral science research. However, policymakers often are unaware of behavioral science findings that may help them craft and execute more effective and efficient policies. The pages of this new journal will become a meeting ground: a place where scientists and non-scientists can encounter clearly described behavioral research that can be put into action. By design, the scope of BSP is broad, with topics spanning health care, financial decisionmaking, energy and the environment, education and culture, justice and ethics, and work place practices. Contributions will be made by researchers with expertise in psychology, sociology, law, behavioral economics, organization science, decision science, and marketing. The journal is a key offering of the Behavioral Science & Policy Association in partnership with the Brookings Institution. The mission of BSPA is to foster dialog between social scientists, policymakers, and other practitioners in order to promote the application of rigorous empirical behavioral science in ways that serve the public interest. BSPA does not advance a particular agenda or political perspective. The first issue’s contents follow. Behavioral Science & Policy, vol. 2, no. 1 Table of Contents: Editors' Note Spotlight—Pre-Kindergarten Interventions: American Policy on Early Childhood Education & Development: Many Programs, Great Hopes, Modest Prospects, Ron Haskins Evidence for the Benefits of State Prekindergarten Programs: Myth & Misrepresentation, Dale C. Farran & Mark W. Lipsey Reforming Head Start for the 21st Century: A Policy Prescription, Sara Mead & Ashley LiBetti Mitchel Home Visiting Programs: Four Evidence-Based Lessons for Policymakers, Cynthia Osborne Launching Preschool 2.0: A Road Map to High-Quality Public Programs at Scale, Christina Weiland A 10-Year Strategy of Increased Coordination & Comprehensive Investments in Early Child Development, Ajay Chaudry & Jane Waldfogel Reimagining Accountability in K-12 Education, Brian P. Gill, Jennifer S. Lerner, & Paul Meosky Featured Topic: Healthy Through Habit: Interventions for Initiating & Maintaining Health Behavioral Change, Wendy Wood & David Neal Making the Truth Stick & the Myths Fade: Lessons from Cognitive Psychology, Norbert Schwarz, Eryn Newman, & William Leach Editorial Policy

Download or read book Assessing the Generalizability of Estimates of Causal Effects from Regression Discontinuity Designs written by Howard S. Bloom and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 7 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, the regression discontinuity design (RDD) has gained widespread recognition as a quasi-experimental method that when used correctly, can produce internally valid estimates of causal effects of a treatment, a program or an intervention (hereafter referred to as treatment effects). In an RDD study, subjects or groups of subjects (e.g. students or schools) are rated according to a numeric index (a performance indicator, poverty measure, etc.) and treatment assignment is determined by whether one's rating falls above or below an exogenously defined cut-point value of the rating. RDDs have been used to estimate causal effects in a variety of contexts (e.g. for a list of more than 75 studies in the contexts of education, labor markets, political economy, health, crime and more see Lee & Lemieux, 2009), and research on their statistical properties has provided theoretical justification and empirical verification of their internal validity. This paper explores the conditions that limit the generalizability of RDD estimates and concludes that that in many cases, generalizability is much greater than often believed. It also presents an empirical approach for quantifying the generalizability of RDD findings so that more information can be brought to bear on this important issue. (Contains 1 figure.).

Download or read book Estimating Causal Effects written by Barbara Schneider and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains the value of quasi-experimental techniques that can be used to approximate randomized experiments. The goal is to describe the logic of causal inference for researchers and policymakers who are not necessarily trained in experimental and quasi-experimental designs and statistical techniques.

Download or read book A Practical Introduction to Regression Discontinuity Designs written by Matias D. Cattaneo and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2024-04-11 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this Element, which continues our discussion in Foundations, the authors provide an accessible and practical guide for the analysis and interpretation of Regression Discontinuity (RD) designs that encourages the use of a common set of practices and facilitates the accumulation of RD-based empirical evidence. The focus is on extensions to the canonical sharp RD setup that we discussed in Foundations. The discussion covers (i) the local randomization framework for RD analysis, (ii) the fuzzy RD design where compliance with treatment is imperfect, (iii) RD designs with discrete scores, and (iv) and multi-dimensional RD designs.

Download or read book Challenges When Using the Regression Discontinuity Design in Educational Evaluations written by Josephine Louie and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent federal legislation, such as the "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001 and the "Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA)" of 2002, has insisted that educational evaluations use rigorous research designs with quantitative outcome measures. In particular, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education has promoted the use of "randomized controlled trials" (RCTs) as the preferred method for educational evaluations that seek to determine the causal effect of interventions. This paper describes a regression discontinuity (RD) study conducted to evaluate the impact of Transition to Algebra (TTA)--a supplemental algebra-readiness curriculum. The TTA curriculum was developed over a period of two years and then evaluated through a formal field test in two Massachusetts high schools in 2011-2012. Outcome data was collected from 85 students who had been properly assigned to the TTA intervention (the "core" treatment group); 9 students who were eligible for the intervention but had been randomly excluded (the "core RCT" comparison group); and 27 students who were ineligible for the TTA intervention due to high Grade 8 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS8) scores (the "core RD" comparison group). Outcomes were measured using a modified version of the MCAS test, labeled MCASmod. The research team's experience offers lessons about the implementation of RD studies and the need to work closely with practitioner partners to carry out evaluation designs that address both stakeholder concerns and broader goals of generating rigorous evidence to learn what works in education. Tables and figures are appended.

Download or read book Impact Evaluation written by Markus Frölich and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-21 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encompasses the main concepts and approaches of quantitative impact evaluations, used to consider the effectiveness of programmes, policies, projects or interventions. This textbook for economics graduate courses can also serve as a manual for professionals in research institutes, governments, and international organizations.

Download or read book Methods Matter written by Richard J. Murnane and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-09-17 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Educational policy-makers around the world constantly make decisions about how to use scarce resources to improve the education of children. Unfortunately, their decisions are rarely informed by evidence on the consequences of these initiatives in other settings. Nor are decisions typically accompanied by well-formulated plans to evaluate their causal impacts. As a result, knowledge about what works in different situations has been very slow to accumulate. Over the last several decades, advances in research methodology, administrative record keeping, and statistical software have dramatically increased the potential for researchers to conduct compelling evaluations of the causal impacts of educational interventions, and the number of well-designed studies is growing. Written in clear, concise prose, Methods Matter: Improving Causal Inference in Educational and Social Science Research offers essential guidance for those who evaluate educational policies. Using numerous examples of high-quality studies that have evaluated the causal impacts of important educational interventions, the authors go beyond the simple presentation of new analytical methods to discuss the controversies surrounding each study, and provide heuristic explanations that are also broadly accessible. Murnane and Willett offer strong methodological insights on causal inference, while also examining the consequences of a wide variety of educational policies implemented in the U.S. and abroad. Representing a unique contribution to the literature surrounding educational research, this landmark text will be invaluable for students and researchers in education and public policy, as well as those interested in social science.

Download or read book An Evaluation of the Performance of Regression Discontinuity Design on Progresa written by Hielke Buddelmeyer and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While providing the most reliable method of evaluating social programs, randomized experiments in industrial and developing countries alike are accompanied by political risks and ethical issues that jeopardize the chances of adopting them. Buddelmeyer and Skoufias use a unique data set from rural Mexico collected for the purpose of evaluating the impact of the PROGRESA poverty alleviation program to examine the performance of a quasi-experimental estimator, the regression discontinuity design (RDD). Using as a benchmark the impact estimates based on the experimental nature of the sample, the authors examine how estimates differ when the RDD is used as the estimator for evaluating program impact on two key indicators - child school attendance and child work. Overall the performance of the RDD was remarkably good. The RDD estimates of program impact agreed with the experimental estimates in 10 out of the 12 possible cases. The two cases in which the RDD failed to reveal any significant program impact on school attendance of boys and girls were in the first year of the program (round 3). RDD estimates comparable to the experimental estimates were obtained when the authors used as a comparison group children from noneligible households in the control localities. This paper - a product of the Poverty and Gender Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to develop and apply rigorous methods in the evaluation of poverty alleviation programs.

Download or read book Estimating the Effects of Social Intervention written by Charles M. Judd and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1981-10-30 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Statistical Power for Regression Discontinuity Designs in Education written by John Deke and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The regression discontinuity design (RDD) has the potential to yield findings with causal validity approaching that of the randomized controlled trial (RCT). However, Schochet (2008a) estimated that, on average, an RDD study of an education intervention would need to include three to four times as many schools or students as an RCT to produce impacts with the same level of statistical precision. We extend the work of Schochet by empirically assessing the effect on sample size requirements of accounting for selection of an optimal bandwidth and the adjustment for random misspecification error, both of which are needed to estimate consistent RDD impacts and control the Type I error rate. We used data from four previously published education studies covering more than 25,000 students in kindergarten to grade 9 in 24 states and 330 schools to calculate empirical estimates of the RDD design effect taking into account these additional factors. We find that an RDD study needs between 9 and 17 times as many schools or students as an RCT to produce an impact with the same level of statistical precision, and that the need for a large sample is driven primarily by bandwidth selection, not adjusting for random misspecification error. (Contains 9 tables and 5 footnotes.).

Download or read book Evaluating Treatment Effects in Educational Assessment Data written by Youmi Suk and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Researchers often assess causal effects of educational programs or policies using educational assessment data. This dissertation explores novel methods of estimating causal effects in educational assessment data and is broken into three parts. The first part proposes a regression discontinuity design with an ordinal running variable to assess the effects of extended time accommodations for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The second part investigates how to enhance the performance of machine learning methods to estimate causal effects in multilevel observational data. The third part discusses how to estimate effect heterogeneity that arises from unobservable, latent characteristics by using machine-learning -based methods for causal inference. Overall, the methods from each part provide investigators with modern tools to estimate causal effects in increasingly large and complex educational assessment data.

Download or read book Economics of Education written by Dominic J. Brewer and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2010-01-26 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of short, stand-alone chapters divided into five sections including overview of the field; private and social returns to human capital investments; production, costs and ?nancing of education; teachers and teacher labor markets; and education markets, choice and incentives. The collection provides international perspectives that describe the origins of these subjects, their major issues and proponents, their landmark studies, and opportunities for future research. The 70 contributors are each well-regarded economists whose research has advanced the topic on which they write, and this book fulfills an undersupplied niche for a text in the economics of education. The chapters come from the acclaimed International Encyclopedia of Education, 3e (2010), edited by Eva Baker, Barry McGaw, and Penelope Peterson. The Encyclopedia contains over 1,350 articles in 24 sections that stretch from educational philosophies and technologies to measurement, leadership, and national systems of education. This single volume textbook presents a cohesive view of this increasingly important area ofeconomics Superb contributions from well-regarded economist convey unique and useful perspectives Chapters contain an extensive bibliography and further readings to enable interestedresearchers to extend their knowledge into each speci?c topic

Download or read book Handbook of Social Policy Evaluation written by Bent Greve and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2017-03-31 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Handbook uses methodologies and cases to discover how and when to evaluate social policy, and looks at the possible impacts of evaluation on social policy decisions. The contributors present a detailed analysis on how to conduct social policy evaluation, how to be aware of pitfalls and dilemmas and how to use evidence effectively.

Download or read book International Encyclopedia of Education written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2009-04-17 with total page 6964 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The field of education has experienced extraordinary technological, societal, and institutional change in recent years, making it one of the most fascinating yet complex fields of study in social science. Unequalled in its combination of authoritative scholarship and comprehensive coverage, International Encyclopedia of Education, Third Edition succeeds two highly successful previous editions (1985, 1994) in aiming to encapsulate research in this vibrant field for the twenty-first century reader. Under development for five years, this work encompasses over 1,000 articles across 24 individual areas of coverage, and is expected to become the dominant resource in the field. Education is a multidisciplinary and international field drawing on a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines, and this new edition comprehensively matches this diversity. The diverse background and multidisciplinary subject coverage of the Editorial Board ensure a balanced and objective academic framework, with 1,500 contributors representing over 100 countries, capturing a complete portrait of this evolving field. A totally new work, revamped with a wholly new editorial board, structure and brand-new list of meta-sections and articles Developed by an international panel of editors and authors drawn from senior academia Web-enhanced with supplementary multimedia audio and video files, hotlinked to relevant references and sources for further study Incorporates ca. 1,350 articles, with timely coverage of such topics as technology and learning, demography and social change, globalization, and adult learning, to name a few Offers two content delivery options - print and online - the latter of which provides anytime, anywhere access for multiple users and superior search functionality via ScienceDirect, as well as multimedia content, including audio and video files

Download or read book Natural Experiments in the Social Sciences written by Thad Dunning and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-09-06 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive guide to natural experiments, providing an ideal introduction for scholars and students.

Download or read book Technical Methods Report written by Peter Z. Schochet and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report examines theoretical and empirical issues related to the statistical power of impact estimates under clustered regression discontinuity (RD) designs. The theory is grounded in the causal inference and HLM modeling literature, and the empirical work focuses on commonly-used designs in education research to test intervention effects on student test scores. The main conclusion is that three to four times larger samples are typically required under RD than experimental clustered designs to produce impacts with the same level of statistical precision. Thus, the viability of using RD designs for new impact evaluations of educational interventions may be limited, and will depend on the point of treatment assignment, the availability of pretests, and key research questions. Appendices include: (1) Values for "Factor(.)" in Equation (1) of Text, by the Number of Degrees of Freedom, for One- and Two-Tailed Tests, and at 80 and 85 Percent Power; and (2) Lemma 1. (Contains 7 tables, 2 figures and 8 footnotes.).