The US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences - What Works Clearinghouse has quietly been developing practice guides for educators, schools and districts. From their website, the guides are described as:
Practice guides provide practical recommendations for educators to help them address the everyday challenges they face in their classrooms and schools. Developed by a panel of nationally recognized experts, practice guides consist of actionable recommendations, strategies for overcoming potential roadblocks, and an indication of the strength of evidence supporting each recommendation. IES practice guides are subjected to rigorous external peer review.
Some practice guides of interest to viewers of Tangent Minds include:
- Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making
- Structuring Out-of-School Time to Improve Academic Achievement
- Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Response to Intervention (RtI) for Elementary and Middle Schools
- Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom
- Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices
- Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools
- Encouraging Girls in Math and Science
- Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning
What's interesting is that the guides do offer an indication of the strength of evidence that supports the recommendations in the practice guides. Despite some of the indicators in the guides suggesting "low" evidence, the recommendations are still made. With that in mind, refer to these practice guides as pieces of your own research.
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