computer drone

The definition of “best practice” from the web site of the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (at UT Austin, which is part of the National Center for Educational Accountability) is this:

“Instructional best practices are general principles, guidelines, and suggestions for good and effective teaching that are supported by research.”

That was always my understanding: that “best practices” are suggested by research studies. And as every teacher in the U.S. now knows, No Child Left Behind calls for research-based practices to be used in schools–with a very specific definition of what “research” is. That’s also why the US Dept. of Ed.’s Institute of Educational Sciences (IES) has developed the “What Works Clearinghouse” (and dismantled its much-loved ERIC system). (To see a list of the standards for the review process to get into the WWC, see www.whatworks.ed.gov/reviewprocess/standards.html)

The WWC says that “Study designs that provide the strongest evidence of effects include: randomized controlled trials, regression discontinuity designs, quasi-experimental designs (must use a similar comparison group and have no attrition or disruption problems), and single subject designs. For example, qualitative case studies are not in the scope of the WWC’s review because they are not outcome evaluations. Therefore, a qualitative case study would not pass this screen.” One issue is that our small field just doesn’t have even close to the same volume of quantitative research base with randomized controlled trials that other education disciplines have–for obvious reasons.

Interestingly enough (at least to me!) is that also on the US Dept. of Ed web site, one can find a presentation given by Grover Whitehurst (now director of IES) about “evidence-based education” (EBE) which refers to the need not only for empirical research but also for “professional wisdom.” (In fact, the definition of EBE used in the presentation is “The integration of professional wisdom with the best available empirical evidence in making decisions about how to deliver instruction.”) And I like the definition of professional wisdom, which includes these three things:
 ” * The judgment that individuals acquire through experience,
* Consensus views,
* Increased professional wisdom is reflected in numerous ways, including the effective identification and incorporation of local circumstances into instruction”

This gives me hope for our field as far as providing EBE because it does seem that we have certain established practices for which there is wide consensus. And there certainly has been an increased interest in research and some great work by many people in recent years to provide more research that can lead to improved practices. But it’s also true that many of the things we do are not truly research-based but fall more into the professional wisdom category (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that). Many aspects of our field certainly need additional research, though.
What do you all think?
–FM
(Frances Mary D’Andrea… formerly the director of the national initiative on literacy for AFB)