Can regular, detailed information sent to parents about their students’ progress lead to improved student achievement? That question was put to the test by in a field experiment in the Los Angeles school system in which parents were given information by text, phone or email about their children’s missing assignments. The results for high school students show surprisingly large effects and suggest that this type of relatively low cost intervention may have effects on student achievement that are similar to much more costly and intensive interventions.
To learn more, we’re joined by the study’s author, Peter Bergman (@peterbergman_). He is an professor of economics and education at Columbia University’s Teachers College. His research uses randomized controlled trials to find low-cost, scalable interventions that improve education outcomes.