Collection v39 Research to practice
School & District Management Opinion

Weighing the Research: What Works, What Doesn't

An Opinion Series

Although the cries for “evidence” are frequent in the education space, evidence can prove elusive to practitioners: Where is it? How sound is it? What does it tell us about real-life situations? This ongoing series aims to put the pieces of research together so they can be used by those charged with choosing which policies and practices to implement.

The conveners of this project—Susanna Loeb, the director of Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform, and Harvard education professor Heather Hill—have received grant support from the Annenberg Institute for this series.

They’ll be looking for you to suggest other topics using #EdResearchToPractice on Twitter or submitting a comment to the essays in this series.

Conceptual image of unfair discipline bias
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion Why, Really, Are So Many Black Kids Suspended?
The answer lies much more with educators than with students, writes researcher Richard O. Welsh.
Richard O. Welsh, August 19, 2021
6 min read
Conceptual illustration of people running around a career track.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion One Simple Way for Principals to Boost Students’ Unfinished Learning
Instruction improves when teachers remain in their current grades, write researchers Heather C. Hill and Susanna Loeb.
Heather C. Hill & Susanna Loeb, August 4, 2021
5 min read
The process from idea to practice in the classroom.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management Opinion Why Evidence-Backed Programs Might Fall Short in Your School (And What To Do About It)
How close a program's implementation matches its plan is important, though perhaps not quite as important as you think, writes researcher Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, May 25, 2021
5 min read
A group of student scientists monitor a volcanic eruption
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and iStock/Getty Images Plus
Science Opinion Effective Science Learning Means Observing and Explaining. There's a Curriculum for That
Researchers say grappling with problems beats out traditional approaches.
William R. Penuel, May 17, 2021
5 min read
A tutor welcomes a student to a workstation
JuliarStudio/iStock/Getty Images<br/>
Student Achievement Opinion Learning Recovery: The Research on Tutoring, Extended School Year, and Other Strategies
Evidence points most strongly to the value of high-dose tutoring, but other approaches have merit too, writes researcher Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, April 28, 2021
5 min read
Illustration of a classroom with students and teachers operating from remote spaces.
elenabs/iStock /Getty
Student Well-Being Opinion Remote Learning Cuts Into Attendance. Here Are Remedies
Data suggest low-income communities are hit much harder than affluent ones, writes researcher Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, December 3, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Earl Manus/iStock
Teaching Opinion Teachers, Live Screen Time Is Precious. Use It Well
Research suggests a way to restructure remote learning to give students what they've been missing.
H. Alix Gallagher & Benjamin Cottingham, September 1, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Getty and Vanessa Solis/Education Week
Student Well-Being Opinion Here's How to Protect Students' Mental Health
Teacher-student relationships matter a lot. Research suggests a number of ways to strengthen them, writes Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, July 23, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Design: Vanessa Solis/Education Week, Images: DigitalVision Vectors/iStock
Budget & Finance Opinion Budget-Cut Decisions Loom. Here Are First Steps
Leaders will be weighing what to cut. Research suggests schools in poor neighborhoods, and effective teachers should get protection, writes a team of school finance experts.
Nora Gordon, Susanna Loeb, Marguerite Roza & Eric Taylor, June 30, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Design: Vanessa Solis/Education Week, Images: DigitalVisionVectors
School Climate & Safety Opinion Police Violence and COVID-19 Have Been Traumatizing. Here Are Tools That Can Help Schools
Research can guide educators looking for the best ways of identifying and treating traumatized teachers and students, writes Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, June 15, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Design: Vanessa Solis/Education Week, Images: iStock
School Climate & Safety Opinion How to Contend with Pandemic Learning Loss
Some methods for catch-up are in place, but teachers will need to prepare for what students missed or forgot, write Heather C. Hill and Susanna Loeb.
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Design: Vanessa Solis/Education Week, Images: DigitalVision Vectors/iStock
Teaching Profession Opinion How to Make the Coming Teacher Layoffs Hurt Schools and Students Less
If budget cuts force pink slips, many districts leaders may be able to protect their most effective teachers, especially in schools where turnover is high.
Heather C. Hill, Susanna Loeb & Eric Taylor, May 5, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Opinion Stumped by How to Best Serve Students With At-Home Learning? Follow the Evidence
Schools need to foster learning at home right now, but parents can't always help. Economist Philip Oreopoulos explains what works best.
Philip Oreopoulos, April 20, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Vanessa Solis/Education Week. Source image: iStock/Getty
Families & the Community Opinion Parents as Emergency Teachers? The Research Offers Cautions and Opportunities for Schools
Parents can be effective teachers, but they need the right kind of support from schools.
Heather C. Hill & Susanna Loeb, April 7, 2020
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Getty
Classroom Technology Opinion How Effective Is Online Learning? What the Research Does and Doesn't Tell Us
Research suggests on average students don't learn as much online, particularly if they are already struggling, writes Susanna Loeb.
Susanna Loeb, March 20, 2020
4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Vanessa Solis/Education Week. Source image: Getty
School & District Management Opinion Culturally Responsive Teaching Is Promising. But There's a Pressing Need for More Research
The evidence that culturally responsive teaching can fix the nation's schools for children of color is promising, but woefully incomplete, writes Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, March 6, 2020
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Vanessa Solis/Education Week. Source image: Getty
Professional Development Opinion Teacher PD Gets a Bad Rap. But Two Approaches Do Work
Many researchers have given up on teacher professional development as a way to raise student test scores, but two approaches have been yielding good results, writes Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, February 21, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Vanessa Solis/Education Week, Z_Wei/Getty
Data Opinion Does Studying Student Data Really Raise Test Scores?
Many teachers believe that analyzing student testing data can boost performance, but research suggests otherwise, writes Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, February 7, 2020
5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Vanessa Solis/Education Week. Source images: OstapenkoOlena/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Introducing: A New Series on the Practical Takeaways From Research
In a new series, Heather C. Hill and Susanna Loeb will synthesize the research to see what works and what doesn't in education.
Heather C. Hill & Susanna Loeb, January 21, 2020
5 min read