Findings from Research Grants
Arnold Ventures’ Evidence and Evaluation team funds rigorous research, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental designs (QEDs) evaluating policies and programs across the spectrum of U.S. social policy. This page provides links to brief, plain-language summaries of research projects 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, 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 research funded by the Evidence and Evaluation team on our Summaries of RCT Grants page.
Jump to a section using the menu below:
- Civic Involvement
- Criminal Justice & Violence Prevention
- Early Childhood
- Employment & Training
- K‑12 Education
- Post-Secondary Education
- Regulatory Policy
- Substance Abuse Prevention / Treatment
- Unplanned Pregnancy Prevention
Civic Involvement
BallotReady’s Make a Plan to Vote Online Tool to Increase Voter Turnout
Finding of no statistically significant impact on voter turnout in the 2018 U.S. mid-term elections. Read more
Criminal Justice & Violence Prevention
Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens (FHT‑F) –A Mentoring Program for Youth with Child Welfare Involvement
Suggestive, but not statistically significant, reductions in crime and delinquency in a randomized controlled trial. Read more
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s Community-Based Mentoring Program
Interim findings of reductions in arrests and substance use in a large, multi-site randomized controlled trial. No statistically significant effects were found on two measures of delinquency. Read more
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. Read more
Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI)
Findings of no statistically significant impact on overall serious violent crime in a randomized controlled trial. Read more
Early Childhood
Nurse-Family Partnership Home Visitation Program
No statistically significant long-term impact on maternal and child mortality in three randomized controlled trials. Read More
Employment & Training
Year Up’s Professional Training Corps (PTC) – a College-Based Version of Year Up’s Proven-Effective Workforce Training Program for Economically-Disadvantaged Young Adults
Findings of no statistically significant effects on workforce earnings or months of college enrollment in the second and third years after study entry. Read More
English for Advancement (EfA) Workforce Development Program for English Language Learners
Positive impacts on earnings and employment in a large randomized controlled trial. Read more
Nevada Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Program for Unemployment Insurance Claimants
Positive impacts on earnings and reduced use of unemployment insurance in a large randomized controlled trial. Read more
Project QUEST Occupational Training for Low-income Adults
Positive, sustained (9- and 11-year) earnings impacts in a randomized controlled trial. Read More
K‑12 Education
A Social Belonging Mindset Intervention for Students Entering Middle School
Modest end-of-year impact on students’ grade point average. Read more
Career and Technical Education (CTE) in New York City High Schools
Findings of a small adverse impact on high school graduation and no statistically significant impact on college persistence for 138 CTE programs that served students from 2007 through 2013. Read More
Core Knowledge Charter Schools
No statistically significant impact on English language arts achievement in 6th
grade (longest-term follow-up) but suggestive positive impacts in 4th
and 5th grade. Read More
New Mexico Charter Schools
Suggestive, but not statistically significant, increase in the rate of college enrollment for high school charter schools, and inconclusive evidence for elementary and middle school charter schools, in three randomized controlled trials. Read more
The Vision for Baltimore (V4B) Project, Providing Eyeglasses to Students
Findings of no statistically significant effects on state test scores in English language arts and math achievement. Read More
KIPP Charter Middle Schools
Long-term, suggestive, impacts on college enrollment and persistence in a large randomized controlled trial. Read More
Minnesota Math Corps – Tutoring in Grades 4 – 8
Findings of no statistically significant effects on student math achievement. Read More
Literacy First Tutoring for At-risk Readers in Second Grade
Short-term positive impact on reading achievement, but no discernible impact on the primary (longer-term) outcomes of fifth grade reading or science achievement. Read More
Working on Womanhood (WOW), a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program for Disadvantaged High School Girls, to Improve Mental Health
Suggestive evidence (not statistically significant) of modest reductions in rates of clinical depression and PTSD. No discernible effect on rate of clinical anxiety. Read More
SAGA High-Dosage Literacy Tutoring for First Graders
Suggestive, but not statistically significant, evidence of modest gains in reaching achievement in a randomized controlled trial. Read More
Annual Book Fairs to Promote Summer Reading in Grades 1 – 3 in Rural, High-Poverty Elementary Schools
Findings of a replication randomized controlled trial largely corroborate positive reading impacts found in the initial trial. Read More
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. Read More
Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE) at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Positive impact on “on-time” (four-year) bachelor’s degree completion in a randomized controlled trial Read More
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) – Ohio replication
Long-term positive impacts on degree completion and workforce earnings of low-income community college students in a large randomized controlled trial. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
Monitoring Advising Analytics to Promote Success (MAAPS) Student Advising Program
Six-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. Read More
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. Read More
Up-front Performance Incentives for Instructors and Students in Community Colleges
Positive impact on exam scores, but no statistically significant impact on rates of graduation with an associate degree. Read More
Regulatory Policy
Automated Enforcement of Outdoor Watering Restrictions in Fresno, California
Significant reduction in water usage found in a citywide randomized controlled trial. Read More
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. Read More
Substance Abuse Prevention / Treatment
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s Community-Based Mentoring Program
Interim findings of reductions in arrests and substance use in a large, multi-site randomized controlled trial. No statistically significant effects were found on two measures of delinquency. Read more
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. Read more
Healthy Minds, An Online Growth Mindset Intervention for High School Students Designed to Reduce Depression
Findings of no statistically significant effect on rates or symptoms of depression in a randomized controlled trial. Read More
Unplanned Pregnancy Prevention
The Teen Options to Prevent Pregnancy (TOPP) Program: Long-Term Effects on Participants’ Enrollment and Persistence in College
Findings of no statistically significant effects on college enrollment or persistence. Read more
