This article draws on data and experiences observing and analyzing school lotteries from the National Evaluation of Charter School Impacts to describe challenges associated with lottery-based research. It presents evidence on the prevalence of oversubscribed charter middle schools and compares...

Summarizes the largest federal study ever conducted of dropout prevention programs, finding three promising models: alternative middle and high schools for those at risk of dropping out, programs aimed at helping older students earn a GED, and whole-school restructuring efforts aimed at dropout...

Using data from Mathematica's experimental evaluation of charter schools, this methodological study examines the validity of four different comparison group approaches to test whether these designs can replicate findings from a well-implemented random assignment study.

Describes the evaluation strategy for a comprehensive, rigorous study of the universal-free school breakfast programs to be implemented in six school districts across the country as part of the SBP Pilot Project, including a methodologically rigorous randomized design, a well-defined set of...

Millions of U.S. children participate in the National School Lunch Program each day, receiving free or reduced-price food that makes an important contribution to their overall nutrition. But concern has mounted that many approved as eligible may in fact be ineligible because their family income...

This report provides findings from the largest charter school study of its kind to date to use an experimental design. On average, charter middle schools that hold lotteries are neither more nor less successful than traditional public schools in improving student achievement, behavior, and...

Erroneous payments in the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs occur when school districts claim reimbursement at the free or reduced-price rate for meals served to students who are not eligible. They can also happen when schools don't claim reimbursement for children who have applied...

Using sibling data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics linked with U.S. Census data, the authors examine whether the quality of a person's childhood neighborhood influences where one resides as an adult. Descriptively, the study finds that childhood neighborhood conditions of black and white...