Scientifically-based Research Requirements of NCLB
A central concept of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is that federal funds should support programs and strategies that are backed by scientifically-based research. The USED issued a report calling for a major, department-wide effort to fund studies that randomly assign students to treatment and control groups, as a means of identifying highly effective practices. The report, Bringing Evidence-Driven Progress to Education: A Recommended Strategy for the Department of Education, proposes randomized controlled trials as a key to advancing the quality of American education.
To assist educators in identifying and implementing evidence-based interventions, USED issued a set of guidelines. Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide provides a set of definitions and criteria that an educator should use to evaluate whether an educational practice, strategy, curriculum, or program is supported by rigorous evidence. Appendix B is a checklist to use in evaluating whether an intervention is backed by rigorous evidence. The guidelines also advise on the importance of collecting outcome data to compare results with the research findings.
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) publishes evaluation studies of established education interventions, demonstrating how specific types of methodology are used to answer key questions about program effectiveness and impact.
This program evaluation strategy is intended to track the progress of No Child Left Behind by building a substantial body of credible scientific evidence which schools and teachers can use to raise student achievement. At its Web site, educators can review a listing of what NCEE calls Òa new generation of rigorous evaluations.Ó http://www.ed.gov/print/rschstat/eval/resources/studyplans.html.
Finding Research
Education interventions are available from many sources; however, few meet the rigorous research standards of NCLB. The following organizations are trusted sources of education interventions, some of which used randomized trials to prove effectiveness:
- CARET: Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology
- USED: U.S. Department of Education
- WWC: What Works Clearinghouse
Links
Bringing Evidence-Driven Progress to Education: A Recommended Strategy for the Department of Education (November 2002) was funded by a grant from the William T. Grant Foundation and may be read at the coalitionÕs Web site at http://www.excelgov.org/displayContent.asp?Keyword=prppcEvidence
Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide was released by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education SciencesÕ National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance in December 2003. http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/rigorousevid/guide.html