Findings from RCT grants
Arnold Ventures’ Evidence-Based Policy team funds randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of programs across the spectrum of U.S. social policy. This page provides links to brief, plain-language summaries of the RCTs that have reported interim or final results. Each summary includes a description of the program evaluated, the study design, the effects found on the primary outcomes, an overview of study quality, and a link to the research team’s full study report. Consistent with our overall approach to evidence reporting, we seek to summarize findings in a balanced and objective manner, and note any study limitations that may reduce the reliability of the findings. We update this page as new findings are reported. Find summaries of all RCTs funded by the Evidence-Based Policy team on our Summaries of RCT Grants page.
Jump to a section using the menu below:
- Criminal Justice & Violence Prevention
- Early Childhood
- Employment & Training
- K‑12 Education
- Post-Secondary Education
- Regulatory Policy
- Substance Abuse Prevention / Treatment
Criminal Justice & Violence Prevention
Motivational Interviewing plus Critical Time Intervention for Hospitalized Gunshot Wound Victims
Findings of no statistically significant effect on criminal arrests in a randomized controlled trial.
Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI)
Findings of no statistically significant impact on overall serious violent crime in a randomized controlled trial.
Early Childhood
Nurse-Family Partnership Home Visitation Program
No statistically significant long-term impact on maternal and child mortality in three randomized controlled trials
Employment & Training
English for Advancement (EfA) Workforce Development Program for English Language Learners
Positive interim impacts on earnings and employment in a large randomized controlled trial
Nevada Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Program for Unemployment Insurance Claimants
Positive impacts on earnings and unemployment insurance benefits in a large randomized controlled trial
Project QUEST Occupational Training for Low-income Adults
Positive, sustained (9- and 11-year) earnings impacts in a randomized controlled trial
K‑12 Education
KIPP Charter Middle Schools
Long-term, suggestive, impacts on college enrollment and persistence in a large randomized controlled trial
Minnesota Math Corps – Tutoring in Grades 4 – 8
Findings of no statistically significant effects on student math achievement
Post-Secondary Education
Bottom Line College Access and Success Program for Low-Income Students
Positive impacts on bachelor’s degree receipt in a large, multi-site randomized controlled trial
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) – Ohio replication
Positive impacts on degree completion by low-income community college students in a large randomized controlled trial
Communications “Nudges” to Encourage College Financial Aid Applications
Findings of no statistically significant effects on college attendance of low-income and first-generation students in a large randomized controlled trial
Creating Birds of a Feather Intervention to Build Relationships Between College Instructors and Their Students
Findings of no statistically significant effects on exam scores and college persistence in a randomized controlled trial
Monitoring Advising Analytics to Promote Success (MAAPS) Student Advising Program
Four-year findings of no statistically significant impacts on college persistence and degree completion by first generation or low-income college students in a large randomized controlled trial
Stay the Course Case Management Program
Findings of no statistically significant effects on college enrollment and degree completion by low-income community college students in a randomized controlled trial
Regulatory Policy
Federal Workplace Health and Safety Inspections
A randomized controlled trial of workplace health and safety inspections administered by federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) found highly suggestive reductions in workplace injuries.
Substance Abuse Prevention / Treatment
PROSPER Youth Substance Abuse Prevention System
A long-term randomized controlled trial found a reduction in costs for Medicaid-covered emergency department visits, but no statistically-significant difference of the number of such visits.
