A Validated Resource, Used By Congress & Executive Branch, To Identify Social Programs Meeting “Top Tier” Evidence of Effectiveness
Purpose: The nonprofit, nonpartisan Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy established the Top Tier Evidence initiative in 2008, to assist Congressional and Executive Branch policymakers in identifying social program models (“interventions”) meeting the top tier evidence standard set out in recent legislative provisions: “well-designed randomized controlled trials [showing] sizeable, sustained effects on important…outcomes” [e.g., Public Laws 110-161 and 111-8]. This standard is consistent with (i) criteria recommended by the National Academies for establishing definitive evidence of effectiveness, and (ii) the standard long used in medicine by the Food and Drug Administration as a condition for licensing a new pharmaceutical drug or medical device.
Project status: In 2008, the Coalition convened an Expert Panel for this initiative and launched the initiative’s first phase, focused on interventions for children age 0-6. In that phase, the initiative reviewed all 46 interventions for children 0-6 that were (i) nominated as a Top Tier candidate and/or (ii) listed in the strongest evidence category on one of the major websites of evidence-based programs. The initiative identified two as meeting the Top Tier, shown below. The current phase is focused on interventions for children and youth ages 7-18, and its initial results are also shown below. Future phases of the initiative will address other policy areas.
Policy impact: Initiative findings are influencing legislation/policy; GAO report confirms its adherence to rigorous standards. Initiative findings have had an important influence on recent legislation and policy, including new federal initiatives to scale up evidence-based home visitation and teen pregnancy prevention programs. Furthermore, a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessment confirms the initiative’s adherence to rigorous standards and overall transparency. We’ve prepared a one page summary of these new developments, including a link to the GAO report.
Interventions identified to date as meeting the Top Tier standard:
- Interventions for children age 0-6:
- Nurse-Family Partnership (a nurse home visitation program for low-income, pregnant women). See evidence summary here.
- Success for All for grades K-2 (a school-wide reform program, primarily for high-poverty elementary schools, with a strong emphasis on reading instruction). See evidence summary here.
- Interventions for children and youth ages 7-18:
- Career Academies (Small learning communities in low-income high schools, combining academic and technical/ career curricula, and offering workplace opportunities through partnership with local employers). See evidence summary here.
- Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (A comprehensive, year-round youth development program for economically disadvantaged teens). See evidence summary here.
- LifeSkills Training (A middle-school substance abuse prevention program). See evidence summary here.
- Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (A foster care program for severely delinquent youth). See evidence summary here.