Implementation support: a field experiment on the effects of fidelity and professional responsibility approaches

Abstract The challenges of implementing public policies and interventions have long been recognized, and a wide range of well-documented barriers frequently hinder effective implementation. We develop a framework of implementation support approaches, distinguishing between two types: fidelity and professional responsibility. We test the framework in a large-scale, preregistered field experiment involving 250 Danish schools implementing an evidence-based reading intervention. Regression results show that, at the family level, a professional responsibility approach emphasizing discretion led to behavioral changes in program take-up and, to some extent, use. A plausible mechanism is increased encouragement from teachers in this group, as indicated by the parents. Somewhat unexpectedly, teachers most appreciated the fidelity approach. Overall, the findings suggest that even minor changes in the framing of implementation support have detectable consequences, and while the fidelity approach may ease teachers’ workload in the short run, granting greater discretion through a professional responsibility approach ultimately enhances benefits for the target group.