Randomized Experiment of Playworks Analytic Files for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 Cohorts in Six United States Cities

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) contracted with Mathematica Policy Research and its subcontractor, the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities (JGC) at Stanford University, to conduct a rigorous evaluation of Playworks, a program for structured play during recess, class time and after school in low-income school districts. These data were collected as part of the evaluation. Twenty-nine urban schools interested in implementing Playworks were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups during the 2010-2011 (cohort 1) or 2011-2012 (cohort 2) school years. During the one-year study period for each cohort, treatment schools received Playworks and control schools were not eligible to implement Playworks. Mathematica and JGC collected data from students, teachers and school staff at 25 cohort 1 schools in spring 2011 and an additional four cohort 2 schools in spring 2012 to document the implementation of Playworks and assess the program's impact on key outcomes related to school climate; conflict resolution and aggression; learning and academic performance; youth development; student behavior; and play, physical activity and recess. Data collection activities included administration of student and teacher surveys, collection of physical activity data via accelerometers, structured observations of recess periods and collection of administrative records.