A Validated Resource, Used By Congress & Executive Branch, To Identify Social Programs Meeting “Top Tier” Evidence of Effectiveness
Purpose: To assist Congressional and Executive Branch officials in identifying social program models (“interventions”) meeting the top tier standard in recent legislative provisions. The standard is “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 in a recent National Academies report for establishing definitive evidence of effectiveness, and (ii) the standard long used in medicine by the FDA as a condition for licensing a new pharmaceutical drug or medical device.
Status: The nonprofit, nonpartisan Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy launched the effort in 2008, engaging an Expert Panel to identify Top Tier interventions through a systematic review process. Initial phases of the effort have focused on (i) interventions for children and youth ages 0-18; and (ii) social interventions to improve health or reduce health care costs. The initiative has thus far identified seven interventions in these areas as Top Tier (shown below). As of May 2010, the initiative began soliciting and reviewing interventions as candidates for the Top Tier in all areas of social policy.
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 2009 Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessment confirmed the initiative’s adherence to rigorous standards and overall transparency. We’ve prepared a one page summary of these 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.
Social interventions to improve health or reduce health care costs:
- Staying Free (A low-cost smoking cessation program for hospitalized smokers who are willing to make a quit attempt). See evidence summary here.