Are Evidence-Based Programs Worth the Investment? - In 2007, the Birmingham, UK, City Council launched "Brighter Futures," a series of evidence-based programs to better the lives of the city's children. Focused on prevention and early intervention, the programs also included a research feature: outcomes were documented. Some worked well, one didn't and the jury is still out on the other two. They learned when an investment is planned (more than $63 million) it is best to use tested, effective programs and practices. Evidence-based programs can be worth the investment, and programs must be implemented with fidelity to the original, successful version. (Better: Evidence-Based Education, February 2013)...

Changing the Odds for Student Success: What Matters Most - This document is based on the findings of more than 1,000 studies and reports related to seven components of school systems and the learning needs of underserved students. It calls out those practices that demonstrate the largest effects on student achievement. It goes beyond merely identifying "what works," because the problem is not that too few programs "work", but that so many things "sort of work". Consequently the report identifies what matters most--those influences and approaches that stand clearly above the rest. (Bryan Goodwin, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, July 2010)...

Innovation, Motherhood and Apple Pie - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorized the Secretary of Education to establish a $650 million Innovation Fund to expand the work of schools that have made gains in closing achievement gaps. With growing discussion and considerable money heading in the direction of innovation, the author provides recommendations on how the Department of Education should evaluate successful programs. (Grover Whitehurst, Brookings Institution, March 2009)...