What Works Clearinghouse

What Works Clearinghouse
Name	What Works Clearinghouse
Established	2002
Owner	Institute of Education Sciences
Country	United States
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.

What Works Clearinghouse The What Works Clearinghouse is a United States federal initiative designed to evaluate research on interventions for K–12 education and related programs. Established by the Institute of Education Sciences within the United States Department of Education, the clearinghouse synthesizes evidence on curricula, instructional strategies, and assessments to inform decisions by state education agencies, local education agencies, and policymakers. It produces evidence reviews, practice guides, and tools intended for use by practitioners, researchers, and advocates across districts, foundations, and nonprofit organizations.

Overview and Purpose

The clearinghouse was created to provide rigorous, reliable summaries of research about programs and policies affecting elementary school and secondary school students, including topics such as reading instruction, mathematics interventions, and special education. Its purpose aligns with mandates from congressional legislation like the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and supports initiatives by No Child Left Behind Act implementers, Every Student Succeeds Act planners, and program officers in agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when coordinating early childhood services. The clearinghouse aims to bridge research users including superintendents from districts like Los Angeles Unified School District and Chicago Public Schools with evidence generated by scholars from institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, and University of Michigan.

History and Development

The clearinghouse was developed in response to calls for evidence-based policymaking voiced by leaders including Rod Paige and researchers affiliated with RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, and the American Institutes for Research. Early development involved collaboration with research producers at Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and University of California, Berkeley. Over time, its scope expanded to incorporate standards influenced by methodological work from figures and entities such as John Hattie, Campbell Collaboration, and the Cochrane Collaboration. The clearinghouse’s procedures have evolved through interactions with congressional oversight from committees like the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce and guidance from advisory bodies connected to Carnegie Corporation of New York and philanthropic funders including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Methodology and Standards

The clearinghouse applies review standards drawing on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental designs emphasized by scholars at What Works Clearinghouse-style institutions and parallels to protocols from Cochrane and Campbell Collaboration. Its standards prioritize internal validity, attrition analysis, baseline equivalence, and treatment fidelity, with adaptations influenced by methodological literature from Donald Rubin, Jeremiah Horrocks, and statistical approaches used at National Bureau of Economic Research. The standards classify evidence levels such as strong, moderate, and low based on criteria similar to those used in systematic reviews commissioned by National Institutes of Health panels. The clearinghouse’s procedures for evidence synthesis have been informed by practices at Institute for Education Sciences and review methods applied in syntheses by RAND Corporation and American Educational Research Association convenings.

Reviews and Reports

The clearinghouse publishes intervention reports, practice guides, and evidence gap maps that address a broad array of topics including literacy interventions evaluated by scholars at University of Oregon, numeracy programs studied at University of Chicago, and behavioral supports reviewed by researchers from Johns Hopkins University. Its reports have summarized evaluations of programs such as curriculum adoptions used in Houston Independent School District and professional development efforts piloted in New York City Department of Education. Reports often cite trials funded by entities like the Institute of Education Sciences and assessments used in studies by organizations including Educational Testing Service and American Institutes for Research.

Impact and Criticism

Policymakers and practitioners have used clearinghouse findings to inform procurement decisions at school districts and to guide grantmaking by foundations such as Annenberg Foundation and Walton Family Foundation. Scholars and advocacy groups including researchers at Teachers College, Columbia University and policy analysts at Economic Policy Institute have critiqued aspects of the clearinghouse, debating its treatment of implementation context, external validity, and the treatment of quasi-experimental evidence. Criticism has referenced methodological debates involving figures and organizations such as Angrist and Pischke, Brookings Institution fellows, and commentators in journals like Education Next and Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Debates have also engaged litigation and oversight contexts involving the Government Accountability Office.

Access and Usage

Materials produced by the clearinghouse are distributed to educators, researchers, and administrators via public-facing platforms used by districts, state agencies, and intermediaries including Regional Education Laboratories and professional networks like ASCD and National School Boards Association. Users consult clearinghouse effectiveness ratings when developing instructional frameworks in districts such as Miami-Dade County Public Schools and when aligning curricula with standards from bodies like the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Training and dissemination efforts occur through conferences held by organizations such as American Educational Research Association and Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness.

Category:Education research organizations