{"id":2518,"date":"2016-03-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-01T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carnegie25live.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=2518"},"modified":"2025-12-17T02:18:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T10:18:41","slug":"do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-9f092ff3\">\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-f749780f\">\n\n<figure class=\"gb-block-image gb-block-image-76d64e57\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"263\" height=\"350\" class=\"gb-image gb-image-76d64e57\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"rct-263x350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png 263w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1-225x300.png 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 263px) 100vw, 263px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-fsb-flexible-spacer fsb-flexible-spacer\"><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--lg\" style=\"height:16px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--md\" style=\"height:16px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--sm\" style=\"height:16px\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-3509cf4d\">\n\n<p class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-7f1386da gb-headline-text dcs_blueChevron dcs_removeTransform\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Purchase<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-fsb-flexible-spacer fsb-flexible-spacer\"><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--lg\" style=\"height:64px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--md\" style=\"height:64px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--sm\" style=\"height:64px\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-d723643c gb-headline-text\">March 2016 | Written by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/?post_type=fellows&amp;p=3286\">In Memoriam: Marshall \u201cMike\u201d Smith<\/a>, Alan Ginsburg\u00a0| Published by American Enterprise Institute<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Study of the Usefulness of RCTs in the What Works Clearinghouse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The What Works Clearinghouse, which identifies studies that provide credible and reliable evidence of intervention effectiveness, gives its highest rating of confidence only to randomized controlled trials (RCTs). But is an RCT the best way to provide useful information to consumers about complex interventions like curricula?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this American Enterprise Institute report, Alan Ginsburg and Carnegie Foundation Senior Fellow Marshall (Mike) Smith analyze 27 RCT mathematics curriculum studies contained in the What Works Clearinghouse, and they find serious threats to the usefulness of all 27. They suggest a more nuanced approach to evaluating curricula that is more timely and takes into consideration the complex context in which curricula are implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Download&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aei.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Randomized-Controlled-Trials-Appendix.xlsx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Appendix (XLS)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-fsb-flexible-spacer fsb-flexible-spacer\"><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--lg\" style=\"height:80px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--md\" style=\"height:80px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--sm\" style=\"height:80px\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-e3118763 alignfull\">\n\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-fsb-flexible-spacer fsb-flexible-spacer\"><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--lg\" style=\"height:56px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--md\" style=\"height:56px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--sm\" style=\"height:56px\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0130b7b6\">\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-15957be1 gb-headline-text\">You Might Like<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-wrapper gb-grid-wrapper-bddfab04\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-11a71804\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-11a71804\">\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-wrapper gb-grid-wrapper-5555fe34 gb-query-loop-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-fa6cb64e gb-query-loop-item post-3437 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news tag-featured\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fa6cb64e\"><a class=\"gb-container-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/carnegie-foundation-and-ets-release-skills-progressions-for-collaboration-communication-and-critical-thinking\/\"><\/a>\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-7a7e21e1\">\n<figure class=\"gb-block-image gb-block-image-29525fe2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Skills-Prog-822x484px.png\" class=\"gb-image-29525fe2\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Skills-Prog-822x484px.png 822w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Skills-Prog-822x484px-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Skills-Prog-822x484px-768x462.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-d509fede\">\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-03c3d1f8 gb-headline-text\">Carnegie Foundation and ETS Release Skills Progressions for Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-9fa906de dcs_blueChevron gb-headline-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/carnegie-foundation-and-ets-release-skills-progressions-for-collaboration-communication-and-critical-thinking\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-9595ddd7\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-9595ddd7\">\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-wrapper gb-grid-wrapper-cd24ae20 gb-query-loop-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-523c835e gb-query-loop-item post-3745 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-media tag-featured\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-523c835e\"><a class=\"gb-container-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/rising-demand-for-career-education-prompts-college-board-to-expand-its-footprint\/\"><\/a>\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-8a608c3d\">\n<figure class=\"gb-block-image gb-block-image-0004511f\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Education-Week.jpg\" class=\"gb-image-0004511f\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Education-Week.jpg 822w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Education-Week-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Education-Week-768x462.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbdded7a\">\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-b6bee17e gb-headline-text\">Rising Demand for Career Education Prompts College Board to Expand Its Footprint<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-f50001e0 dcs_blueChevron gb-headline-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/rising-demand-for-career-education-prompts-college-board-to-expand-its-footprint\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-3b1234bf\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-3b1234bf\">\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-wrapper gb-grid-wrapper-b1bd1865 gb-query-loop-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-78bd1b01 gb-query-loop-item post-3928 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-stories tag-featured tag-opportunity-colleges-and-universitites\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-78bd1b01\"><a class=\"gb-container-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/opportunity-colleges-and-universities-series-university-of-illinois-chicago-profile\/\"><\/a>\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-6aea97cb\">\n<figure class=\"gb-block-image gb-block-image-3d8b82a2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1081\" height=\"665\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/OCU-Profiles-Social-UIC-1.jpg\" class=\"gb-image-3d8b82a2\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/OCU-Profiles-Social-UIC-1.jpg 1081w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/OCU-Profiles-Social-UIC-1-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/OCU-Profiles-Social-UIC-1-1024x630.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/OCU-Profiles-Social-UIC-1-768x472.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1081px) 100vw, 1081px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-b7d77a93\">\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-00ebe497 gb-headline-text\">Opportunity Colleges and Universities Series: University of Illinois Chicago Profile<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-7a9d3f01 dcs_blueChevron gb-headline-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/opportunity-colleges-and-universities-series-university-of-illinois-chicago-profile\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-6e4c6215\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-6e4c6215\">\n\n<div class=\"gb-grid-wrapper gb-grid-wrapper-140a62b5 gb-query-loop-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"gb-grid-column gb-grid-column-467ccb83 gb-query-loop-item post-1066 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-video tag-featured tag-future tag-higher-education\"><div class=\"gb-container gb-container-467ccb83\"><a class=\"gb-container-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/podcast-the-next-50-years-of-higher-ed-what-leaders-need-to-know\/\"><\/a>\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-8d506024\">\n<figure class=\"gb-block-image gb-block-image-1f9cf2fe\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Thumbnail-Next-50-Years.png\" class=\"gb-image-1f9cf2fe\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Thumbnail-Next-50-Years.png 822w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Thumbnail-Next-50-Years-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Thumbnail-Next-50-Years-768x462.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-48f520c9\">\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-ee1ac036 gb-headline-text\">Podcast: The Next 50 Years of Higher Ed \u2013 What Leaders Need to Know<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-1f666cd2 dcs_blueChevron gb-headline-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/podcast-the-next-50-years-of-higher-ed-what-leaders-need-to-know\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-fsb-flexible-spacer fsb-flexible-spacer\"><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--lg\" style=\"height:100px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--md\" style=\"height:100px\"><\/div><div class=\"fsb-flexible-spacer__device fsb-flexible-spacer__device--sm\" style=\"height:100px\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Purchase March 2016 | Written by\u00a0In Memoriam: Marshall \u201cMike\u201d Smith, Alan Ginsburg\u00a0| Published by American Enterprise Institute A Study of &#8230; <a title=\"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"client_controls":[],"class_list":["post-2518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recommended-readings"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019? - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019? - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Purchase March 2016 | Written by\u00a0In Memoriam: Marshall \u201cMike\u201d Smith, Alan Ginsburg\u00a0| Published by American Enterprise Institute A Study of ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carnegie.foundation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-01T08:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-17T10:18:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"263\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"DCTeamMember\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CarnegieFdn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CarnegieFdn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"DCTeamMember\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"DCTeamMember\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/786b3dfd6e33675205fc8c0c7265ac97\"},\"headline\":\"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019?\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-01T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-17T10:18:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/\"},\"wordCount\":149,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Recommended Readings\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/\",\"name\":\"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019? - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-01T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-17T10:18:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png\",\"width\":263,\"height\":350},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/\",\"name\":\"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Logo-Edit-MC.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Logo-Edit-MC.svg\",\"width\":249,\"height\":46,\"caption\":\"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carnegie.foundation\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CarnegieFdn\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/786b3dfd6e33675205fc8c0c7265ac97\",\"name\":\"DCTeamMember\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d08ce85f35a162321f61ed6a0119f1614b1ff9d50ca535d4dc58e85430ae60d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d08ce85f35a162321f61ed6a0119f1614b1ff9d50ca535d4dc58e85430ae60d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"DCTeamMember\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/author\/dcteammember\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019? - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019? - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","og_description":"Purchase March 2016 | Written by\u00a0In Memoriam: Marshall \u201cMike\u201d Smith, Alan Ginsburg\u00a0| Published by American Enterprise Institute A Study of ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/","og_site_name":"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carnegie.foundation\/","article_published_time":"2016-03-01T08:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-17T10:18:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":263,"height":350,"url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"DCTeamMember","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CarnegieFdn","twitter_site":"@CarnegieFdn","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"DCTeamMember","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/"},"author":{"name":"DCTeamMember","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/786b3dfd6e33675205fc8c0c7265ac97"},"headline":"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019?","datePublished":"2016-03-01T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-17T10:18:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/"},"wordCount":149,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png","articleSection":["Recommended Readings"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/","name":"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019? - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png","datePublished":"2016-03-01T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-17T10:18:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rct-263x350-1.png","width":263,"height":350},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/do-randomized-controlled-trials-meet-the-gold-standard\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Do Randomized Controlled Trials Meet the \u2018Gold Standard\u2019?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/","name":"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#organization","name":"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Logo-Edit-MC.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Logo-Edit-MC.svg","width":249,"height":46,"caption":"Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carnegie.foundation\/","https:\/\/x.com\/CarnegieFdn"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/786b3dfd6e33675205fc8c0c7265ac97","name":"DCTeamMember","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d08ce85f35a162321f61ed6a0119f1614b1ff9d50ca535d4dc58e85430ae60d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d08ce85f35a162321f61ed6a0119f1614b1ff9d50ca535d4dc58e85430ae60d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"DCTeamMember"},"url":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/author\/dcteammember\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2518"},{"taxonomy":"client_controls","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carnegiefoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/client_controls?post=2518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}