What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is a digital library of educational research which focuses on evidence-based education.
A 2006 report described that many researchers perceived the WWC to be passive cataloger of available research.[1] In contrast to that view, the paper described a series of opinionated subjective decisions which the WWC made about providing some educational research and declining to index another sort.[1]
WWC was established in 2002 as a project of the Institute of Education Sciences.[2]
The WWC recommendations for interpreting the results of single-case educational studies is the subject of discussion.[3][4][5]
The WWC has systems for evaluating the effectiveness of educational research in general[6] and curricula.[7]
Various researchers use WWC itself as the platform through which they access other research.[8]
Some of the concerns expressed about WWC are that it appears to have difficulty keeping up with the research so it may not be current; and when a program is not listed on their database, it may be that it did not meet their criteria or they have not yet reviewed it, but it's not clear which.[9] In addition Straight Talk on Evidence, authored by the Arnold Ventures LLC’ Evidence-Based Policy team , on January 16, 2018 expressed concerns about the validity of the ratings provided by WWC. It says WWC in some cases reported a "preliminary outcome when high-quality RCTs found no significant effects on more important and final educational outcomes".[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Schoenfeld, Alan H. (March 2006). "What Doesn't Work: The Challenge and Failure of the What Works Clearinghouse to Conduct Meaningful Reviews of Studies of Mathematics Curricula". Educational Researcher. 35 (2): 13–21. doi:10.3102/0013189X035002013. S2CID 54792929.
- ^ What Works Clearinghouse. "About - Who We Are". What Works Clearinghouse.
- ^ Maggin, Daniel M.; Briesch, Amy M.; Chafouleas, Sandra M. (January 2013). "An Application of the What Works Clearinghouse Standards for Evaluating Single-Subject Research: Synthesis of the Self-Management Literature Base". Remedial and Special Education. 34 (1): 44–58. doi:10.1177/0741932511435176. S2CID 145449670.
- ^ Wolery, Mark (January 2013). "A Commentary: Single-Case Design Technical Document of the What Works Clearinghouse". Remedial and Special Education. 34 (1): 39–43. doi:10.1177/0741932512468038. S2CID 145174228.
- ^ Hitchcock, John H.; Horner, Robert H.; Kratochwill, Thomas R.; Levin, Joel R.; Odom, Samuel L.; Rindskopf, David M.; Shadish, William R. (May 2014). "The What Works Clearinghouse Single-Case Design Pilot Standards: Who Will Guard the Guards?". Remedial and Special Education. 35 (3): 145–152. doi:10.1177/0741932513518979. S2CID 146223804.
- ^ Song, Mengli; Herman, Rebecca (September 2010). "Critical Issues and Common Pitfalls in Designing and Conducting Impact Studies in Education: Lessons Learned From the What Works Clearinghouse (Phase I)". Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 32 (3): 351–371. doi:10.3102/0162373710373389. S2CID 145680409.
- ^ Confrey, Jere (January 2006). "Comparing and Contrasting the National Research Council Report On Evaluating Curricular Effectiveness With the What Works Clearinghouse Approach". Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 28 (3): 195–213. doi:10.3102/01623737028003195. S2CID 144849490.
- ^ Kim, Min Kyung; McKenna, John William; Park, Yujeong (July 2017). "The Use of Computer-Assisted Instruction to Improve the Reading Comprehension of Students With Learning Disabilities: An Evaluation of the Evidence Base According to the What Works Clearinghouse Standards". Remedial and Special Education. 38 (4): 233–245. doi:10.1177/0741932517693396. S2CID 151562892.
- ^ "WWC, Robert Slavin's blog, Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University". 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Straight Talk on Evidence, WWC 2018-01-26". 16 January 2018.
Further reading
edit- Criticisms of What Works Clearinghouse by National Institute of Direct Instruction