If education is to make significant progress in the twenty-first century, it must embrace evidence-based reforms. Perhaps the most important requirement for evidence-based reform is the development of a substantial set of replicable programs and practices with strong evidence of effectiveness. Educators and policy makers must have a variety of…

Proposes the need for a design competition system (DCS) in federally funded educational research and development and discusses the key issues that a DCS must address in methodology. Also addresses the high cost of using a DCS and whether such costs can be justified. Concludes that a DCS is justified and necessary. (GR)

Responds to Sue Klein's comparative analysis on Design Competitions and Expert Panels (Educational Research, 1997) in which the author addresses drawbacks of the Expert Panels approach to educational product evaluation. Cautions that the approach is so minimalist a strategy that it could inhibit more serious attempts to build a system based on…

If education is to halt the ever-swinging pendulum and make significant progress in student achievement, it must first change the ground rules for selecting, implementing, evaluating, and institutionalizing innovations like Hunter's model. This article proposes steps for providing an infrastructure capable of promoting lasting and beneficial…