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. 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.
WWC was established in 2002 as a project of the Institute of Education Sciences.
The WWC recommendations for interpreting the results of single-case educational studies is the subject of discussion.
The WWC has systems for evaluating the effectiveness of educational research in general and curricula.
Various researchers use WWC itself as the platform through which they access other research.
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. 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".
References
- ^ 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
- Criticisms of What Works Clearinghouse by National Institute of Direct Instruction