Much of the discussion in the news, schools and statehouses about the NO Child Left Behind Act has focused on testing and accountability, and whether there is enough money to fund the act sufficiently. However, bubbling underneath this publicity is a term that has the potential to cause a minor ripple on the surface or to erupt like ah underwater volcano and create enormous waves: Scientifically Based Research. This term appears more than 160 times in NCLB, but the meaning and application of SBR may vary due to the context in which it appears in NCLB, the program (e.g.,Title I, Title II D) within the bill, or the type of money (formula or competitive grants) being used to fund the program. This article represents the first in a new series of articles, entitled "A Closer Look at Scientifically Based Research," to be a regular feature of "T.H.E. Journal" issues. The series aims to help readers as they confront guidelines from their respective state departments of education and listen to vendors describe their research programs in support of their products. This first article in the series presents the transcript of an interview with Dr. Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, the director of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, which oversees a key component in SBR, the What Works Clearinghouse. Also included in the article is a section on how a What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Report is created.