One of the major successes of advanced quantitative methods has been its seeming ability to provide unbiased determinations of which education practices are effective for education in general and for improving the educational achievement and opportunity of the neediest students. The power of this methodology as applied in the top education…

Despite Slavin and Madden's mountains of data, questions about Success for All results remain unanswered. Belief in SFA's unique success has caused Congress to reshape Title I policy in favor of comprehensive schoolwide reform models, influenced state and court program mandates, and restricted teachers' choices in serving disadvantaged students.…

Slavin's research that "validated" his Success for All program's effectiveness drives the current push for schoolwide models and comprehensive reform. Other research shows achievement gains for K-1 students only. Concentrating knowledge generation in just a few groups stifles innovative thinking and limits development of alternative…