Evidence-Based Programs for Schools: Relationships Between Effect Sizes and Resource Requirements

Abstract

Presumably, schools desiring larger effects from an empirically based program might be willing to allocate greater resources for the purchase and implementation of the intervention. However, while it may seem intuitive that more expensive programs generate greater change in student outcomes, there is currently a lack of evidence supporting such a relationship. In this study the authors address this gap in the literature by examining the critical relationship between resource requirements and effect sizes of 51 evidence-based programs that would influence school practitioners' choice of interventions. Through simple calculations of the range and mean resources for programs, analyses surprisingly found higher resource requirements for programs with the smallest effect sizes. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Evidence-based programs
• schools
• effect sizes
• resource requirements

Notes

The findings of the authors in this study were previously presented in the dissertation of the first author (Powers, 2005). The review of evidence-based programs included in the dissertation was supported by a grant to Flying Bridge Technologies from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), grant number 2 R42DA013865-02. Findings, opinions, and recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Flying Bridge Technologies, NIH, or NIDA. The authors gratefully acknowledge the input of committee members Philip R. Costanzo, Jack M. Richman, and Gary L. Shaffer to the dissertation upon which this article is based.