A Cost Analysis of the Innovation–Decision Process of an Evidence-Based Practice in Schools

The translation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) to improve students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes into authentic school settings has posed significant challenges for both researchers and practitioners. Among the many barriers to the adoption and use of EBPs are their associated costs. This study presents a framework for integrating the diffusion of innovation theory into an economic evaluation utilizing a societal perspective, which affords the capturing of costs of all phases from adoption through implementation of EBPs for all stakeholders. We leverage cost data from one evidence-based math intervention to serve as a model for incorporating diffusion of innovation theory into cost estimation. We exemplify how costs are distributed across personnel and organizational structures over time and across different stages of diffusion. Results suggest that the distribution of costs changes across stages of the innovation decision-making process, and lack of attention to the pre-adoption costs may partly explain challenges in EBP adoption in schools. Implications for the translation of social, emotional, behavioral, and academic interventions in schools and suggestions for future research are discussed.