Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) Initiative: NSI Impacts on Students and the Aspects of NSI Implementation Related to Impacts. Final Report. Updated
Saved in:
| Title: | Evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) Initiative: NSI Impacts on Students and the Aspects of NSI Implementation Related to Impacts. Final Report. Updated |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Matthew Johnson, Naihobe Gonzalez, Jeffrey Max, Tareena Musaddiq, Sophia Seifert, Michelle Bennett, Ren Schlosser, Mathematica |
| Source: | Mathematica. 2026. |
| Availability: | Mathematica. P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543. Tel: 609-799-3535; Fax: 609-799-0005; e-mail: publications@mathematica-mpr.com; Web site: https://www.mathematica.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 41 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Gates Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Grade 8 Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education Grade 9 High Schools |
| Descriptors: | Educational Improvement, Program Evaluation, Program Implementation, Outcomes of Education, Grade 8, Grade 9, College Bound Students, Secondary School Students |
| Abstract: | The use of network-based continuous improvement (CI) in education has grown substantially in recent years. The approach involves a network of schools using CI to iteratively test and refine strategies that address a common challenge while learning from one another. The Gates Foundation invested in networked-based CI from 2018 to 2025 by awarding more than $300 million to intermediary organizations that led 34 Networks for School Improvement (NSI) across the country. This report describes the effect of the NSI initiative on student outcomes through schools' fourth year of participation and explores the aspects of implementation that may have contributed to its effects. The study measured the effect of the NSI by comparing outcomes for students in NSI schools to similar students in comparable schools that did not participate in the initiative. The study used both a matched comparison and random assignment research design. The NSI had positive impacts on some student outcomes and no impacts on others: (1) The 8th-grade on-track NSI had a positive impact on math test scores equivalent to moving a student from the 37th to the 40th percentile. The 8th-grade on-track NSI did not improve English language arts (ELA) test scores, attendance, or suspension rates; (2) The 9th-grade on-track NSI had positive impacts on course-related outcomes. The NSI improved students' grade point average (GPA) by about 0.11 points on a 4-point scale, and improved course pass rates by 3 to 4 percentage points. These NSI did not reduce suspension rates; (3) The college-ready on-track NSI did not impact the student outcomes prioritized by the foundation: GPA, advanced course taking, math and ELA test scores, high school graduation, or college enrollment; and (4) The well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI increased the proportion of students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by 3 to 5 percentage points but did not increase college enrollment rates. The positive impacts of the NSI were medium in size, comparable to other widely adopted education strategies, such as teacher professional development (Visscher et al. 2025), early warning systems (Faria et al. 2017), and supports for FAFSA completion (ideas42 2015; Page et al. 2020). The study examined how core features of the NSI approach--schools' engagement in the network and intermediary supports and in CI--were related to its impacts on students. Several aspects of implementation were more common for NSI schools with meaningful impacts: engaging with other schools in their network and engaging in key aspects of CI (identifying a specific aim, developing a theory of practice improvement, conducting CI cycles that led to adoption of change ideas, and centering equity). Taken together, the study's findings suggest that network-based school improvement is a promising approach for improving student outcomes. Despite disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSI succeeded in improving some of the targeted student outcomes and schools with meaningful impacts were more likely to implement core features of the NSI approach. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 20260101 |
| Accession Number: | ED682693 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The use of network-based continuous improvement (CI) in education has grown substantially in recent years. The approach involves a network of schools using CI to iteratively test and refine strategies that address a common challenge while learning from one another. The Gates Foundation invested in networked-based CI from 2018 to 2025 by awarding more than $300 million to intermediary organizations that led 34 Networks for School Improvement (NSI) across the country. This report describes the effect of the NSI initiative on student outcomes through schools' fourth year of participation and explores the aspects of implementation that may have contributed to its effects. The study measured the effect of the NSI by comparing outcomes for students in NSI schools to similar students in comparable schools that did not participate in the initiative. The study used both a matched comparison and random assignment research design. The NSI had positive impacts on some student outcomes and no impacts on others: (1) The 8th-grade on-track NSI had a positive impact on math test scores equivalent to moving a student from the 37th to the 40th percentile. The 8th-grade on-track NSI did not improve English language arts (ELA) test scores, attendance, or suspension rates; (2) The 9th-grade on-track NSI had positive impacts on course-related outcomes. The NSI improved students' grade point average (GPA) by about 0.11 points on a 4-point scale, and improved course pass rates by 3 to 4 percentage points. These NSI did not reduce suspension rates; (3) The college-ready on-track NSI did not impact the student outcomes prioritized by the foundation: GPA, advanced course taking, math and ELA test scores, high school graduation, or college enrollment; and (4) The well-matched postsecondary enrollment NSI increased the proportion of students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by 3 to 5 percentage points but did not increase college enrollment rates. The positive impacts of the NSI were medium in size, comparable to other widely adopted education strategies, such as teacher professional development (Visscher et al. 2025), early warning systems (Faria et al. 2017), and supports for FAFSA completion (ideas42 2015; Page et al. 2020). The study examined how core features of the NSI approach--schools' engagement in the network and intermediary supports and in CI--were related to its impacts on students. Several aspects of implementation were more common for NSI schools with meaningful impacts: engaging with other schools in their network and engaging in key aspects of CI (identifying a specific aim, developing a theory of practice improvement, conducting CI cycles that led to adoption of change ideas, and centering equity). Taken together, the study's findings suggest that network-based school improvement is a promising approach for improving student outcomes. Despite disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSI succeeded in improving some of the targeted student outcomes and schools with meaningful impacts were more likely to implement core features of the NSI approach. |
|---|
