Enhanced Academic Support for children in child welfare services: Results and lessons learned from a pragmatic randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Enhanced Academic Support (EAS) is an intervention designed to improve academic achievement among children who receive support from the child welfare services (CWSs) in the home. We investigated the effects of EAS in a randomized controlled trial in Norway. In total, 82 families who received support from the CWS were included in the study (37 in the intervention group, 45 in the comparison group). Both groups were invited to a pretest, posttest, and follow-up measure of the children's math and reading skills, their teachers' evaluation of their academic competence, and of parental involvement in children's education. CWS workers, parents, and children reported the dosage of academic support received. In the intervention group, 48% of families received the threshold dosage of EAS needed for the intervention to be considered as delivered. There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention and comparison group on the children's math and reading skills, or their teachers' evaluation of the children's academic competence. Given the variation in intervention delivery and the limited statistical power, limited conclusions about the effect of EAS can be made. Important lessons from implementation in CWS and on conducting a pragmatic randomized trial are discussed.