Grant Recipient: Mathematica Policy Research
Term: 2018 –2020
Principal Investigator: Phil Gleason, Ph.D., Mathematica Policy Research
Funding: $196,812
Summary: This grant will fund the long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of KIPP charter middle schools. KIPP is a national non-profit network of college-preparatory, public charter schools that serve thousands of predominantly low-income and minority students (88% of KIPP students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and 95% are African American or Latino). KIPP’s goal is to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and character strengths they need to succeed throughout their education and in the competitive world beyond.
KIPP elementary and middle schools have been found in large, well-conducted RCTs to significantly improve students’ performance on state reading and math achievement tests two to three years after random assignment, as summarized here.
This grant would extend the follow-up of an RCT of oversubscribed KIPP middle schools in five states and the District of Columbia, with a sample of 1,179 students who applied to the schools in the 2008 – 2009 or 2009 – 2010 school years. The study has previously reported positive findings on test score outcomes at two and three years after random assignment. The longer-term analyses will examine KIPP middle schools’ impacts on enrollment and persistence in four-year colleges, using administrative data from the National Student Clearinghouse. The study’s pre-specified analysis plan is linked here.
This study has been completed. A plain-language summary of the findings is available here.
