This article presents evidence from the elementary school component of Mathematica’s national evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool programs. The findings indicate that the programs affected the supervision students received after school, with parents less likely...

Recommends that an upcoming study of the effectiveness of educational technology in improving academic achievement focus on four goals: (1) defining what is meant by "educational technology," (2) deciding how to measure effectiveness, (3) clarifying what kinds of students will be studied, and...

Explores whether propensity score methods produce unbiased estimates of program impacts, by comparing experimental and propensity score impacts of dropout prevention programs. Finds no consistent evidence that they do--even when the data available for matching are extensive. Suggests that...

These remarks, presented at the Brookings Institution's Stakeholder Forum on After-School Programs, reflect on lessons from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers study that can benefit future education evaluations. Specifically, the author calls for consistent weighting of the evidence,...

This final report from Mathematica’s congressionally mandated study of educational technology presents effects for the 2005-2006 school year for 10 computer-based reading and math products. Teacher experience using the software was not systematically related to changes in effects between the...

To address the unmet needs of disadvantaged children, the Children and Youth program supports services aimed at promoting healthy development of young children, to prevent later problems by intervening early in a problem cycle, when services are less costly and may have a greater chance for...