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How General Is Educational Intervention Fadeout? A Meta-Analysis of Educational RCTs with Follow-Up. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1366

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Title: How General Is Educational Intervention Fadeout? A Meta-Analysis of Educational RCTs with Follow-Up. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1366
Language: English
Authors: Tyler W. Watts, Emma R. Hart, Drew H. Bailey, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Source: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2025.
Availability: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 79
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Information Analyses
Descriptors: Intervention, Program Effectiveness, Academic Achievement, Interpersonal Competence, Persistence, Outcomes of Education, Randomized Controlled Trials, Followup Studies
Abstract: Researchers and policymakers pursue educational interventions with the goal of altering children's long-term trajectories. However, many effects fade quickly after interventions end. Researchers have sought to address the fadeout problem by identifying characteristics of interventions that lead to persistent effects, though reliable answers have been elusive. We present evidence from 87 randomized controlled trials of educational interventions targeted at a diverse array of skills across developmental stages. We examined whether salient intervention features consistently explain medium-term persistence rates, testing widely held theories about skill building. We observed evidence of fadeout for most interventions. Although persistence rates varied, salient features of interventions explained only a small portion of this variation.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED678313
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  Data: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
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  Data: Researchers and policymakers pursue educational interventions with the goal of altering children's long-term trajectories. However, many effects fade quickly after interventions end. Researchers have sought to address the fadeout problem by identifying characteristics of interventions that lead to persistent effects, though reliable answers have been elusive. We present evidence from 87 randomized controlled trials of educational interventions targeted at a diverse array of skills across developmental stages. We examined whether salient intervention features consistently explain medium-term persistence rates, testing widely held theories about skill building. We observed evidence of fadeout for most interventions. Although persistence rates varied, salient features of interventions explained only a small portion of this variation.
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