On February 11, the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse reviewed MDRC’s most recent study of small public high schools in New York City, concluding that it met the Clearinghouse’s highest evidence standard without reservations.

Sustained Progress: New Findings About the Effectiveness and Operation of Small Public High Schools of Choice in New York City, by Howard Bloom and Rebecca Unterman, examined whether winning an admissions lottery to attend a small school of choice (SSC) in New York City improved high school graduation rates, influenced the type of diploma students received, or increased the likelihood of college readiness. An SSC is a small, nonselective public high school emphasizing academic rigor, strong relationships between students and teachers, and community partnerships. The researchers analyzed data on more than 12,130 students who participated in ninth-grade admissions lotteries for 84 SSCs in New York City (from an initial sample of 14,969 students in lotteries for 84 SSCs) and measured the effect of enrolling in an SSC by comparing outcomes of students who won an admissions lottery and those who lost the same lottery.

The study found that an offer of admission to an SSC increased four-year graduation rates (in particular, increases in rates of receiving a Regents diploma) and college readiness in English, but had no effect on college readiness in math or other types of high school diplomas that students received.

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) was established in 2002 as an initiative of the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education. The WWC is administered by the National Center for Education Evaluation within IES.