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)...

Roots of Success: Effective Practices in Vermont Schools - The Vermont Department of Education, with the help of a large-scale teacher survey and an advisory panel representing K-12 and higher education faculty, studied what it takes for schools--and therefore students--to succeed. They identified eight characteristics that form the foundation for school effectiveness and are essential to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status, reach their full potential. (Vermont Department of Education, September 2009)...

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)...