January 2004 — Exclusive Series: SBR
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Determining 'What Works' - An Interview With Dr. Grover 'Russ' Whitehurst
Much of the discussion in the news, schools and statehouses about the No Child Left Behind Act has focused on testing and accountability, and whether there is enough money to fund the act sufficiently. However, bubbling underneath this publicity is a term that has the potential to cause a minor ripple on the surface or to erupt like an underwater volcano and create enormous waves: Scientifically Based Research. This term appears more than 160 times in NCLB, but the meaning and application of SBR may vary due to the context in which it appears in NCLB, the program (e.g., Title I, Title II D) within the bill, or the type of money (formula or competitive grants) being used to fund the program.
For the next six months, T.H.E. Journal will be running a series, co-edited by Therese Mageau, on scientifically based research. This first article is an interview with Dr. Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, the director of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, which oversees a key component in SBR, the What Works Clearinghouse. Future articles will address what SBR really means, whether SBR is a guideline or a mandate, a checklist for educators to help in evaluating research, a review of the research agenda for educational technology, and an analysis of the challenges that the technology industry faces in addressing SBR.
We hope this new series, titled "A Closer Look at Scientifically Based Research," helps you as you confront guidelines from your state department of education and listen to vendors describe their research programs in support of their products.
The What Works Clearinghouse (wwc) was set up by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to provide educators, policy-makers and the public with reviews of research on educational interventions and to make a determination about "the scientific evidence of what works in education." The Clearinghouse is mistakenly thought of by some to be the final federal arbiter on what qualifies as scientifically based research (SBR). In fact, it has a highly defined scope of work, focusing on about a half-dozen topics in curriculum and instruction each year where there is research on the effectiveness of various educational interventions. The Clearinghouse's job is to determine and report back to the educational community on the soundness of that research, as well as to give educators guidance in making decisions about programs, practices, products and policies that improve student outcomes. Dr. Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst is the director of IES and oversees the Clearinghouse. He spoke with T.H.E. Journal about the mission and function of the What Works Clearinghouse, as well as the role of SBR in education.
T.H.E. Journal: Describe the work of the What Works Clearinghouse.
WHITEHURST: The work of the Clearinghouse is to provide an instrument that can be used by people, such as readers of T.H.E. Journal, which will provide them with such information, as is available, that's relevant to the decisions they have to make when they purchase technology, or a curriculum or a professional development model. It's to provide a well-respected source of information with regards to what the science says, and what evaluation says, about which programs work for whom.
