Biographies are one of our best tools for diversifying the curriculum. In this article, we describe The Biography Clearinghouse, a free resource designed to inspire teachers to use high-quality biographies in their classrooms. We then elaborate on curricular possibilities in K-8 classrooms. We end with a discussion of the Investigate, Explore, and…

Utah Leading through Effective, Actionable, and Dynamic (ULEAD) Education is required to report on successful K-12 practices in Utah and other states and propose policy changes to remove barriers to implementation successful practices. These practices should result from ULEAD's innovative research reports and repository development. There have…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is an investment of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. Its purpose is to provide educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence on what works in education. The WWC's goal is to produce high-quality products that help…

We provide an overview of existing and emerging ways that institutional researchers can leverage National Student Clearinghouse data to expand a culture of data-driven decision-making across campus, with a focus on examples from the field.

Using practical examples from a child welfare research capstone class, this article discusses how the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC) can be used as a tool to teach social work students how to access, analyze, and interpret current research related to child welfare practice and help them apply their understanding…

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) has available for research a large data warehouse of enrollment and graduation information from 1993 to the present for nearly all postsecondary students in the United States. In this most recent academic year, 18 million currently enrolled students alone were added to the database. Some of the following…

Susan Imel is retired from Ohio State University. From December 1981 until December 2003, she was the Adult Education Specialist at the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education and Director from 1987 through 2003. This essay begins with a brief overview of the ERIC system including goals for the clearinghouses, followed by a…

In this article, we trace the development of the Campbell Collaboration and its renewed efforts to build a world library of accurate, synthesized evidence to inform policy and practice and improve human well-being worldwide. Campbell systematic reviews and related evidence synthesis products provide unbiased summaries of entire bodies of empirical…

The purpose of this paper is to describe best practices in designing and implementing strong quasi-experimental designs (QED) when assessing the effectiveness of policies, programs or practices. The paper first discusses the issues researchers face when choosing to conduct a QED, as opposed to a more rigorous randomized controlled trial design.…

In this article, we respond to Wolery's critique of the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) pilot "Standards," which were developed by the current authors. We do so to provide additional information and clarify some points previously summarized in this journal. We also respond to several concerns raised by Maggin, Briesch, and Chafouleas…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) aims to synthesize and disseminate the results of high-quality education research on areas of significant public interest. The WWC has come to serve as a concrete example of the growing willingness of the federal government to shape both the topic and methods chosen by researchers. However, the scope of research…

It has been three years since Race to the Top grant-winning states piloted new teacher evaluation systems and many of them have made considerable progress, yet according to media coverage and a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published in April 2015, struggles remain and most grantees have asked to extend the timetables for…

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has made a range of commitments to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians and in particular provide for a better future for Indigenous children. These commitments have re-focused the efforts of everyone working for a better future for Australia's Indigenous people. The Closing the Gap Clearinghouse…

School libraries have increasingly seen the number of school librarians in each school decrease, creating more solo librarian positions in schools. While this is not a new dilemma, it is one that requires initiative and persistence on the part of the school librarian to accomplish tasks and make decisions. Making decisions about individual school…

Tribal colleges are often performing little miracles in their communities. Most tribal colleges operate without benefit of local and state taxes. Yet, they bring in new money from other sources that stimulate the local economy. Students gain knowledge and skills that can transform their communities and local economies. Tribal colleges not only…