Lipsey and Durlak will use this planning grant to compare and summarize information across seven existing meta-analytic databases of youth programs. These activities will lay the groundwork for a larger empirical study that would be funded under the Special Program Initiative on variations in effects. The larger study would examine how reliable estimates of program effects across studies relate to factors that might influence effects. Gaining a clearer understanding of the primary factors that contribute to variability has important implications for future policy, practice, and research.
Why do programs impacts vary across places, organizations, and different groups of youth?