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The efficacy of early childhood programs
The efficacy of early childhood programs, programs for English-language learners, and the effects of changing school composition on student learning that arise as school choice programs are introduced (Sean Reardon, funded by Carnegie Corporation and the William T. Grant Foundation). An increasingly large number of large-scale data sets that include detailed information on educational experiences and outcomes are available to researchers (including data collected by NCES and other federal agencies, as well as data from state education agencies and large school districts), but very little research using these data relies on the type of sophisticated statistical methods necessary to eliminate selection effects and provide plausibly unbiased estimates of causal effects of educational practices and policies. Reardon’s work in this area focuses on applying econometric and statistical methods for causal inference to important educational practice and policy questions (effects of early childhood programs, efficacy of programs for English-language learners, and the effects of changes in school composition resulting from school choice programs on student learning) using large observational data sets. The results of such analyses are both hypothesis-generating and may provide evidence on potential causal effects in cases where random assignment is impractical or where more detailed knowledge is required before conducting an RCT.
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