Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative: Impacts on Student Outcomes (Interim Report)
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Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative: Impacts on Student Outcomes (Interim Report)

Published: Apr 24, 2024
Publisher: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Human Services Education College and Career Readiness
Associated Project

Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement Initiative

Time frame: 2020 – 2026

Prepared for:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Authors

Matthew Johnson

Jeffrey Max

Tareena Musaddiq

Breyon Williams

Silvia Robles

Michelle Bennett

Key Findings
  • The impacts described in this report are interim because (1) the foundation expected the NSI to have their full impact after three years and this report presents impacts after schools' second year, and (2) schools' second year of participation was heavily affected by COVID.
  • Although the 8th-grade on-track NSI had an impact on some outcomes in schools' first year, they did not impact the targeted student outcomes after schools' second year of participation.
  • The impact of the 9th-grade on-track NSI appeared to increase over time. These NSI had a positive impact on three of the five outcomes-GPA, core course pass rate, and credit completion-after schools' second year of participation
  • After schools' second year of participation, the well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI had a positive impact on FAFSA completion but not college enrollment. An impact on college enrollment in schools' first year of participation did not persist into schools' second year.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation established the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) initiative to support networks of schools in using continuous improvement (CI) to improve outcomes for students who are Black, Latino, or experiencing poverty. The foundation sponsored an evaluation to learn about the formation of school networks, the use of CI in schools, and the impact of these efforts on student outcomes. This report describes the impact of the NSI on student outcomes after schools’ second year of participation by comparing students in NSI schools to students in similar schools that did not participate in the initiative. These are preliminary findings both because they are based on school years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and because the foundation initially expected the NSI to achieve full impact after three years.

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