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**Why?**

Despite years of well-intended effort and major expenditures of
resources, too many children are not getting the quality education they
deserve. Our nation's failure to improve our schools rests in part on
insufficient and flawed educational research. Even when rigorous
research exists, solid evidence rarely makes it into the hands of
practitioners, policymakers and others who need it to guide their
decisions. Most education decision-makers lack the time, training or
resources to sift through the multitude of claims that various programs,
practices, and products will enhance student academic outcomes. Further,
conflicting interpretations and disagreements about a study's findings
too often cause confusion among education practitioners. Finally, many
decision-makers are not accustomed to systematically using evidence
about what really works to help all children learn at high levels and
become productive citizens. Educators, policymakers, and the public need
a central, independent and trusted source of evidence about what
actually works in education.

**What?**

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is a national project, created in
August 2002 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational
Research and Improvement, to meet this need. Through a set of easily
accessible Web-based databases on what works, the WWC will provide
decision-makers with the information they need to make choices based on
high quality scientific research.

The WWC will develop standards for reviewing and synthesizing rigorous
research and will provide its findings in accessible, straightforward
language through the following user-friendly, searchable online
databases:

-   An **educational interventions registry** that provides reviews of
    potentially replicable programs, products, and practices that are
    claimed to enhance important student outcomes, and synthesizes the
    scientific evidence related to their effectiveness. An additional
    linked database will provide information about the evaluation
    studies on which the intervention reviews have been based;

-   An **approaches and policies registry** that contains evidence-based
    research reviews of broader educational approaches and policies;

-   A **test instruments registry** that contains scientifically
    rigorous reviews of test instruments used for assessing educational
    effectiveness; and

-   An **evaluator registry** that identifies evaluators (both
    individuals and organizations) that have indicated their willingness
    to conduct quality evaluations of education interventions.

**Who?**

The WWC seeks broad participation from all who are interested in
improving the nature and role of evidence in education. The WWC is
committed to developing rigorous and transparent standards of evidence
and ensuring that its products and services directly meet user needs. To
meet these goals, the WWC will collaborate with a large network of
producers as well as consumers of research evidence to ensure broad
input into WWC plans and activities.

WWC is managed by a joint venture between the American Institutes for
Research ([www.air.org](http://www.air.org/)) and the Campbell
Collaboration (http://www.campbellcollaboration.org). Both organizations
are nationally recognized leaders in the field of rigorous reviews of
scientific evidence. Subcontractors to the project are Aspen Systems
(www.aspensys.com), Caliber Associates (www.calib.com), and the
Education Quality Institute (www.eqireports.org).  

       

**What's Next?**

Over time, the What Works Clearinghouse Web site will also include:

-   Schedule of events;

-   Frequently asked questions;

-   Information about a public forum to review draft standards of
    evidence;

-   Email links to enable you to submit questions and comments to the
    WWC;

-   Detailed information and timelines for each key WWC product and
    service;

-   Tutorials to help consumers learn how to use important features of
    the site;

-   Reports, articles and other WWC publications;

-   Links to other tools, resources, and articles of interest; and

-   Consumer surveys to help ensure that WWC review topics and reports
    meet your needs.

**Need more information?**

For more information on the WWC standards of evidence, or to find the
WWC at conferences or events near you, go to: www.w-w-c.org.

To receive updates about the WWC and its work, send an email to:
wwcinfo@w-w-c.org with your name, job title, mailing address, and email
address.

**[Contact the What Works Clearinghouse]{.underline}**

**Email:** <wwcinfo@w-w-c.org>

**Web:** w-w-c.org