Background/Context: When a researcher tests an educational program, product, or policy in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and detects a significant effect on an outcome, the intervention is usually classified as something that "works." When the expected effects are not found, however, there is seldom an orderly and transparent…

Despite widespread recognition among policy makers, educational leaders, and the nation as a whole of the importance of science, engineering, and technology as drivers of the future of the country and society, the science achievement of America's students is mediocre at best, in comparison to that of international peers. On the 2012 PISA tests in…

Although some research-based educational practices have shown promise, many fail to be implemented at a scale that affects more than a small proportion of children. Further, research on interventions for young children includes mixed results, with most documenting "fadeout" of effects after several years, but some showing lasting…

Persistent inequalities in the academic learning trajectories of underserved students have led to a growing interest in interventions for young children who are at higher risk for academic difficulties later on. This study's primary goal was to understand how the integration of video, computer games and associated hands-on activities impacts…

The current study, a randomized controlled trial, explores how technology and educational transmedia resources can enhance prekindergarten math teaching and learning in preschools, especially those serving children who may be at risk for academic difficulties due to economic and social disadvantages. This research is part of a multi-year summative…

Education needs generalizable models to scale up evidence-based practices and programs and longitudinal research evaluating the persistence of the effect of their implementation. This is particularly important given the "deep, systemic incapacity of U.S. schools, and the practitioners who work in them, to develop, incorporate, and extend new…

As evidence-based reform becomes increasingly important in educational policy, it is becoming essential to understand how research design might contribute to reported effect sizes in experiments evaluating educational programs. The purpose of this study was to examine how methodological features such as types of publication, sample sizes, and…

Despite decades of policy intervention to increase college entry among low-income students, considerable gaps by socioeconomic status remain. To date, policy makers have largely overlooked the summer after high school as an important time period in students' transition to college. In Summer 2012, the authors designed a randomized trial to…

The gap among ethnicities and gender in mathematics achievement is a well-known problem. While the gap has been shrinking over the past three decades, it has not completely diminished (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; McGraw, Lubienski, & Strutchens, 2006). The ALEKS, Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces, tutoring system is one promising…