The Scale-Up Effect in Early Childhood and Public Policy: Why Interventions Lose Impact at Scale and What We Can Do About It

by John List (Editor), Dana Suskind (Editor), Lauren Supplee (Editor)

Overview

This critical volume combines theoretical and empirical work across disciplines to explore what threatens scalability—and what enables it—in the early childhood field. Authors and editors provide specific recommendations to help professionals refine and apply the science of scaling in their programs, research, and decision making.

Written by leading experts in early childhood, economics, psychology, public health, philanthropy, and more, chapters and commentaries shine light on how to effectively use experimental insights for policy purposes. The result is a comprehensive and forward-thinking guide to the challenges and possibilities of effective scaling in early childhood and beyond.

Essential reading for researchers, practitioners, funders, and policy makers alike, this book raises vital questions and provides a vision for the long-term journey to scalable evidence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781000384314
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/26/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	452
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

John A. List is the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at University of Chicago, USA and a Research Associate at the NBER. He is a Founder and Co-Director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health. List served on the Council of Economic Advisers from 2002 to 2003.

Dana Suskind is a pediatric otolaryngologist, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, and Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at University of Chicago, USA. Dr. Suskind is a Founder and Co-Director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health.

Lauren H. Supplee is a Senior Program Officer at the William T. Grant Foundation and former Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Senior Scholar in Early Childhood Research at Child Trends.

Table of Contents

1. Failed to Scale: Embracing the Challenge of Scaling in Early Childhood Part I: The Science of Early Childhood and Complexities of Scaling 2. Early Childhood: The Opportunity to Untap Human Potential 3. How Cognitive Biases Can Undermine Program Scale-Up Decisions 4. How a Behavioral Economic Framework Can Support Scaling of Early Childhood Interventions 5. The Economics of Investing in Early Childhood: Importance of Understanding the Science of Scaling Part II: The Scale-up Effect: Understanding the Threats to Scalability Scaling: A Case Study 6. The Science of Using Science: A New Framework for Understanding the Threats to Scaling Evidence-Based Policies 7. When is Evidence Actionable? Assessing Whether a Program is Ready to Scale 8. Studying Properties of the Population: Designing Studies that Mirror Real World Scenarios 9. Fidelity and Properties of the Situation: Challenges and Recommendations 10. Spillovers and Program Evaluation at Scale Real-world Application and Understanding of the Threats to Scaling: Commentary on Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 11. 70 to 700 to 70,000: Lessons from the Jamaica Experiment 12. A Research Agenda Built for Scale Part III: Charting a Path Forward 13. Designing Programs with an Eye Toward Scaling 14. Accounting for Differences in Population: Predicting Intervention Impact at Scale 15. Sustaining Impact after Scaling Using Data and Continuous Feedback 16. Measurement Built for Scale: Designing and Using Measures of Intervention and Outcome that Facilitate Scaling Up Commentary: Lessons Learned from Scaling Cost Measurement in Federal Early Care and Education and Evidence-Based Home Visiting Programs 17. Enabling Contexts to Support Scale-Up: Lessons from Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships 18. Embedding Workforce Development into Scaled Innovations to Prevent Declines in Administration Quality 19. Forging Collaborations for Scale: Catalyzing Partnerships Among Policy Makers, Practitioners, Researchers, Funders, and Evidence-to-Policy Organizations 20. Process to Identify Effective Policies to Strengthen the Prenatal-to-Three System of Care 21. Building Political Will 22. Recommendations for Mitigating Threats to Scaling