Mathematica Policy Research Releases Evaluation of EL Education Middle Schools

After three years, El Education students are:

Summary:

In 2013 independent research firm Mathematica Policy Research found that after three years EL Education middle school students perform 10 months better in math and 7 months better in reading than their counterparts in other schools.

The Study:

Mathematica Policy Research conducted the first rigorous study of the impact of the EL Education School Design model in 2013. The study team examined student performance on state reading and math assessments up to three years after students enrolled in five EL Education middle schools in New York and Washington D.C. These students were matched to a control group made up of students with similar demographic characteristics and baseline achievement. Mathematica also used a variety of methods to mitigate potential threats to the study’s validity, such as student attrition and grade repetition. This rigorous approach helped to ensure that the estimated impacts on student performance were caused by the EL model and not variations in student characteristics or student achievement trends from prior years.

Results:

At the end of the study, the analysis clearly showed students at EL Education schools experienced significant and meaningful gains in achievement, including in comparison to a control group. In reading, EL Education students experience positive impacts that are roughly equal in magnitude to an extra five months of learning growth after two years and an extra seven months of learning after three years. In math, EL Education students experience positive impacts roughly equal to an extra three months of learning growth after two years and 10 months of extra learning growth after three years.

Learn more: Mathematica School Design Study.