Eval. Pacific Communities with High Performance in Literacy Dvlpmt (Pacific CHILD)

The study was designed to assess whether Pacific CHILD improved student achievement in reading comprehension (primary outcome) and teacher knowledge and practice secondary outcomes) in the three entities in which it was implemented. It was guided by the following research questions: Primary research question regarding impacts on student reading comprehension: • Did grade 5 students at schools that were offered Pacific CHILD for two years perform differently on assessments of reading comprehension from grade 5 students at schools that were not offered Pacific CHILD?

Secondary research question regarding impacts on teacher knowledge and teacher practice: • Did grade 4 and grade 5 teachers at schools that were offered Pacific CHILD for two years perform differently from teachers at schools that were not offered Pacific CHILD, as measured by either an assessment of their knowledge of theories and strategies related to effective reading instruction (including English language learner-focused theories and strategies) or an assessment of their instructional practices for enhancing student reading comprehension (including English language learner-focused practices)?

To investigate these questions, the study conducted a multisite, cluster randomized experiment in which schools were the unit of random assignment and teachers and students at schools were the units of analysis. The treatment condition consisted of offering schools the opportunity for their grade 4 and grade 5 teachers to participate in the two-year Pacific CHILD professional development program. The control condition consisted of business as usual; schools in the control group were not offered Pacific CHILD during the two years while the treatment group schools were offered the intervention. The study estimated the intent-to-treat effects of Pacific CHILD as a school-level intervention, focusing on individuals who could have been potentially exposed to the full two-year intervention.