"Linking Research to the Classroom: Making Connections for Students with Learning Disabilities" Presentation Given at LDA Annual Conference - February, 2013

1. Linking Research to the Classroom: Making
Connections for Students with Learning
Disabilities
Joshua Furgeson, Ph.D.
Mathematica Policy Research
Deputy Principal Investigator, What Works Clearinghouse
Students with Learning Disabilities topic area

2. The What Works Clearinghouse
What is it?
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3. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)
 Initiative of the U.S. Department of Education's
Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
 Evaluates educational interventions—
programs, products, practices, or policies aimed at
improving student outcomes
 Issues reports that help educators make choices using
“scientifically-based” research
– No Child Left Behind
– Education Sciences Reform Act
 ALL REPORTS ARE FREE
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4. The WWC mission
 Central and trusted source of scientific evidence for
what works in education
– Develops and implements standards for reviewing
and synthesizing education research (rigorous)
– Assesses the research evidence on the effectiveness
of interventions (transparent and replicable)
– Publishes research summaries for teachers, administrators,
and policymakers (user-friendly)
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5. The What Works Clearinghouse
Identifying Effective
Interventions
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6. Identifying effective interventions
 Too much information
– Hundreds of interventions
– Tens of thousands of empirical studies
 Research background needed to identify compelling
research
– Complicated research methods and statistical analyses
– Results can conflict
 IES created the WWC to help educators identify the
interventions that actually work
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7. Outcomes can be deceiving
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8. What would have happened without the program?
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9. WWC review process identifies quality research
 Comprehensive literature search to identify all
relevant studies that examine the intervention
 Trained screener examines each study and checks that
the study has a strong causal design
 Two certified reviewers determine whether the study
meets WWC evidence standards set by expert panel
 Summarize all studies that meet standards in one
report
 Internal quality review (senior WWC staff) and
external IES peer review (outside expert)
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10. The What Works Clearinghouse
Website
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11. Use the WWC website to:
 Identify effective educational interventions
 Evaluate current programs, policies and practices
 Inform professional development
 Recommend effective programs, practices and
policies to colleagues and school leaders
 Organize meetings with colleagues
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12. http://www.whatworks.ed.gov
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13. The What Works Clearinghouse
What publications are
available?
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14. Intervention Reports
 An intervention report is a summary of findings of the
most reliable research on a given curriculum, program,
practice, or policy in education
 Process
– Prioritize interventions for review
– Conduct a comprehensive literature search
– Review each study against WWC standards
– Only summarize the findings from the well-designed studies
Intervention: a curriculum, program, practice, or policy designed to improve student outcomes
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15. Example: Read Naturally® by Students with LD
171 studies and articles identified
43 studies of effectiveness
1 study met
standards
One
report
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16. WWC website: Read Naturally® report
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17. The bottom line: Summarizing the evidence
 Rating of effectiveness
 Magnitude of effect
(improvement index)
 Extent of evidence
 … or lack of evidence!
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18. Current topic areas
Adolescent Literacy
Autism
Beginning Reading
Character Education
Children Classified as Having an Emotional Disturbance
Dropout Prevention
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education for Children with Disabilities
Elementary School Math
English Language Learners
High School Math
Middle School Math
Science
Students with Intellectual Disabilities
Students with Learning Disabilities
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19. Practice Guides
 A practice guide is a set of recommendations for
educators to address challenges in their classrooms
and schools
 Process
– Expert panel develops recommendations
– Conduct a comprehensive literature search
– Review each study against WWC standards
– Summarize the review
 The level of research evidence supporting each
recommendation is provided
– Minimal, moderate, or strong
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20. Example: RtI Reading Guide Recommendation #3
 Recommendation: “Provide intensive, systematic
instruction on up to three foundational reading skills in
small groups to students who score below the benchmark
on universal screening.”
 Level of Evidence: Strong
 Guidance on How to Implement Recommendation:
“Implement this program three to five times a week, for
approximately 20 to 40 minutes.”
 Roadblock: Aligning the tier 2 intervention program with
the core program. Suggested Approach: Alignment is not as
critical as ensuring that instruction is systematic and
explicit and focuses on the priority reading components.
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21. Practice Guide Topics
School Improvement: Literacy:
•Turning Around Low Performing Schools
•Response to Intervention: Reading
•Dropout Prevention
•Improving Adolescent Literacy
•Reducing Behavior Problems in
Elementary Schools •Effective Literacy Instruction for ELL
Students
•Organizing Instruction and Study
•Reading Comprehension
•Writing
Science and Math:
•Response to Intervention: Math
•Mathematical Problem Solving
•Encouraging Girls in Math and Science
•Teaching Fractions
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22. Quick Reviews & Single Study Reviews
 A quick review is a timely and objective assessment of
recent research that is reported in a major national
news source
– Identify recent research with media mentions
– Provide quick summary and rating in less than two weeks
 A single study review is an objective assessment of an
individual research study
– Review the study against WWC standards
– Summarize the evidence
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23. Available on the WWC website
 Total of 211 intervention reports
 26 intervention reports under the youth and children
with disabilities topic areas (Students with Learning
Disabilities, Early Childhood Education for Children
with Disabilities, Children Classified as Having an
Emotional Disturbance)
 16 practice guides
 76 quick reviews
 22 single study reviews
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24. http://www.whatworks.ed.gov
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