A Mismatch: Research-Practice Gap
evidence-based practices (EPBs) = instructional approaches shown by high-quality research to result reliably in generally improved student outcomes.
Organizations establishing EBPs
- What Works Clearinghouse
- Best Evidence Encyclopedia
- The Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center,
- The EPPI-Centre [Evidence for Policy and Practice network]
- The Campbell Collaboration
- Promising Practices Network
- Other professional organizations - e.g., Council for Exceptional Children; Division 16 and the Society for the Study of School Psychology Task Force; American Speech-Language Association)
Slavin: Bob Slavin is currently Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University, part-time Professor at the Institute for Effective Education at the University of York (England), and Chairman of the Success for All Foundation.
Confusion!!!!
Best practices vs effective practices vs research-based practices vs evidence-based practices
Science + Professional Expertise
A truism in science ......
Criteria for Evaluating Individual Studies
Meet prescribed criteria associated with valid findings
- Causal research designs -
- Campbell Collaborative
- Best Evidence Encyclopedia
- What Works Clearinghouse
- Broader range of research designs-
- EPPI-Centre
- National Research Council
- gender, race or ethnicity, age or grade level, disability status and type, SES, Eng. proficency
- whole class, small group, inclusive class, resource room, self-contained
- urban, suburban, rural
Research designs other than randomized clinical
trials
- quasi-experimental group studies
- single-case research
Always a level of methodolgical compromise - thus highest quality studies
What Works indicators -
- attrition and differential attrition
- not including a valid or reliable measure
- 12 weeks in duration - treatment and control groups equivalent on pretest measure
- including only outcomes overly aligned with the intervention
- issues with internal validity
Best Evidence Encyclopedia and What Works
~ Quantity of studies, magnitude of effect, sample size, and research design.
- Best Evidence Ency. - magnitude = weighted mean effect size across students
- What Works Cl. -ES for each individual study
OK - identification of EBPs
Barriers to implementation:
- Teachers' views of research
- Teachers trust their own experience
- Schools are resistant to change
Recommendations:
- Local data
- Teacher narratives
- Institutionalization of practice
- Research on how to implement
- Research relevant to teachers
Conclusions
- Continuation of research on EBPs
- Ubiquity of the term EBP
- EPBs should be used - using science to improve student learning outcomes
Who and where?
- Research during the past 20 years
- Sample - specificity of participants - general age groupings
- Disaggregation of data for sub-populations shown to respond differently
Evidence-Based Practices in Education