The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) serves as a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education. The WWC designs its resources to help educators, administrators, families, researchers, and policymakers make evidence-based decisions. In fall 2023, the WWC convened the Small Working Group of Experienced Education…

Large numbers of U.S. students lack proficiency in science, and students from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups show disparities in science achievement. Science knowledge and skills are important for both academic and workplace success, and a variety of interventions have been developed to improve student achievement in science.…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evaluates research studies that look at the effectiveness of education programs, products, practices, and policies, which the WWC calls "interventions." Many studies of education interventions make claims about impacts on students' outcomes. Some studies have designs that enable readers to make causal…

At its most effective, advising is a collaborative process between a student and an advisor designed to help the student realize their educational potential. Most postsecondary institutions have historically used advisors to help students select and register for courses, but postsecondary institutions are increasingly asking advisors to play an…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is an investment of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. Its purpose is to provide educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence on what works in education. The WWC's goal is to produce high-quality products that help…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identifies existing research on educational interventions, assesses the quality of the research, and summarizes and disseminates the evidence from studies that meet WWC standards. The WWC aims to provide enough information so educators can use the research to make informed decisions in their settings. This…

This appendix provides additional characteristics of the studies of "Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT)" that meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) single-case design standards, including six studies that contribute to the findings in the "CW-FIT" intervention report and six studies that do not contribute to…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) examines manuscripts (that is, journal articles, working papers, dissertations, or other publications or pieces of written research presented as complete sets of findings) to determine if they are eligible to be included in a specific review effort. The WWC first determines whether the manuscript contains a…

Many studies of education interventions make claims about impacts on students' outcomes. Some studies have designs that enable readers to make causal inferences about the effects of an intervention but others have designs that do not permit these types of conclusions. To help policymakers, practitioners, and others make sense of study results, the…

This protocol guided the review of research that informs the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide entitled "Strategies for Postsecondary Students in Developmental Education -- A Practice Guide for College and University Administrators, Advisors, and Faculty." This protocol was used in conjunction with the "WWC Procedures…

This protocol guides the What Works Clearinghouse's (WWC) systematic reviews of evidence on interventions to improve the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and skills of students in preschool (PK) to grade 12 (or ages 3-21). To conduct the systematic review, use this protocol in conjunction with version 4.1 of the…

This protocol guides the review of research that informs the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) intervention reports in the Developmental Education topic area. The protocol is used in conjunction with the "WWC Procedures and Standards Handbooks (version 4.0)." Not all students enrolled in college are prepared to do college-level work in all…

This protocol guides the review of research that informs the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide on Career and Technical Education at Community Colleges. The review-specific protocol is used in conjunction with the "WWC Procedures and Standards Handbooks (version 4.0)." The Practice Guide will draw from rigorous research to…

An aspect of a study is considered a confounding factor if it is not possible to tell whether the difference in outcomes is due to the intervention, the confounding factor, or both. In What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) study reviews, certified reviewers look for a specific type of confounding factor: those that occur when a component of the study…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Standards Briefs explain the rules the WWC uses to evaluate the quality of studies for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. An aspect of a study is considered a confounding factor if it is not possible to tell whether the difference in outcomes is due to the intervention, the confounding factor, or both.…