The Costs and Impacts of Descubriendo la Lectura: Evidence From a Multisite Experimental Study

Abstract

We estimate costs and impacts of Descubriendo la Lectura (DLL), an intervention designed to improve the literacy skills of Spanish-speaking first graders struggling with reading. Collecting cost data from 24 schools in seven districts across four states participating in a multisite randomized controlled trial of DLL, we used the ingredients method to identify all personnel and nonpersonnel resources and then assign costs to each ingredient. The average cost per student of DLL is approximately $7,120 (in 2022 dollars), with teacher and teacher leader personnel expenditures accounting for more than 90% of the total costs. Impact analyses from the student-level random assignment study suggest DLL has substantial effects on Spanish-language literacy achievement, with effect sizes from d = 0.23 to d = 0.91. Linking estimated costs and achievement impacts, the impact per $1,000 investment in DLL is between d = 0.03 and d = 0.13, and a cost between $7,824 and $30,957 per student is associated with a one standard deviation increase in student achievement. These estimates compare favorably with those found for other interventions with recent cost and impact data.