Lottery-Based Evaluations of Early Education Programs: Opportunities and Challenges for Building the Next Generation of Evidence

Christina Weiland, Rebecca Unterman, Susan Dynarski, Rachel Abenavoli, Howard Bloom, Breno Braga, Ann-Marie Faria, Erica H. Greenberg, Brian Jacob, Jane Arnold Lincove, Karen Manship, Meghan McCormick, Luke Miratrix, Tomás E. Monarrez, Pamela Morris-Perez, Anna Shapiro, Jon Valant and Lindsay Weixler

No 30970, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Lottery-based identification strategies offer potential for generating the next generation of evidence on U.S. early education programs. Our collaborative network of five research teams applying this design in early education and methods experts has identified six challenges that need to be carefully considered in this next context: 1) available baseline covariates may not be very rich; 2) limited data on the counterfactual; 3) limited and inconsistent outcome data; 4) weakened internal validity due to attrition; 5) constrained external validity due to who competes for oversubscribed programs; and 6) difficulties answering site-level questions with child-level randomization. We offer potential solutions to these six challenges and concrete recommendations for the design of future lottery-based early education studies.

JEL-codes: I20 I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-02
Note: CH ED LS PE
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Published as Christina Weiland & Rebecca Unterman & Susan Dynarski & Rachel Abenavoli & Howard Bloom & Breno Braga & Anne-Marie Faria & Erica Greenberg & Brian A. Jacob & Jane Arnold Lincove & Karen Manship & Meghan McCormick & Luke Miratrix & Tomás E. Monarrez & Pamela Morris-Perez & Anna Shapiro & Jon Valant & Lindsay Weixler, 2024. "Lottery-Based Evaluations of Early Education Programs: Opportunities and Challenges for Building the Next Generation of Evidence," AERA Open, vol 10.

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