All the evidence that’s fit to print.
The R4S team has decades of combined experience studying the use of data and research evidence by schools and school leaders. Explore their featured work below and in our publication archive. Looking for something shorter? Try our Resource Center.
Reading Recovery: An Evaluation of the Four Year i3 Scale-Up
This study included an in-depth analysis of the Reading Recovery literacy intervention program implementation, a collaboration between CPRE and the Center for Research on Education and Social Policy (CRESP) at the University of Delaware. Continue reading Reading Recovery: An Evaluation of the Four-Year i3 Scale-Up →
The Role of Federal Agencies in Creating and Administering Evidence-Based Policies
Federal agencies’ push towards the intentional use of evidence in policy development is cause for federal agencies to evaluate the accessibility of existing evidence. Rebecca A. Maynard discusses the four pillars of support provided by federal agencies in the road to advance the federal evidence-based policy agenda. Continue reading The Role of Federal Agencies in Creating and Administering Evidence-Based Policies →
Where do Educators go to Learn About Research?
Identifies the people, organizations, and social media educators report as their sources for research-based information.
Continue reading Where do Educators go to Learn About Research? →
Problems & Decisions in School A
In this school-level analysis of organizational decisions and the problems that motivated them, learn what the R4S team found regarding the number of decisions and the perceptions of the problem the decisions addressed.Continue reading Problems & Decisions in School A →

Unlocking the Potential of the “What Works” Approach to Policymaking and Practice: Improving Impact Evaluations
This paper suggests three ways to make impact evaluations more relevant to policy and practice in an effort to improve the fundamental understanding of social problems, while also generating practical guidance for mitigating those problems. Continue reading Unlocking the Potential of the “What Works” Approach to Policymaking and Practice: Improving Impact Evaluations →

Mixing Methods in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTS): Validation, Contextualization, Triangulation, and Control
This paper describes the mixed research approaches in a Randomized Control Trial of a school principal professional development program and illustrates key challenges from validating instruments and measures of mediator variables to examining how contextual factors interact with the treatment. Continue reading Mixing methods in randomized controlled trials (RCTs): Validation, contextualization, triangulation, and control →
Educators’ Experiences with Research
Based on survey results, learn how educators have been involved with research. Continue reading Educators’ Experiences with Research →
Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development
This article describes NSF and ED’s shared understanding of the roles of various types of research in generating evidence about strategies and interventions for increasing student learning. The primary audiences for this paper are agency personnel, scientific investigators who seek funding from these agencies, and those who service as peer reviewers. Continue reading Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development →
The Institute of Education Sciences: A Model for Federal Research Offices
Research offices of cabinet-level departments in the federal government are crucial in maintaining and promoting evidence-based policy. Grover J. Whitehurst uses the Institute of Education Sciences as a model for addressing the challenges and recommendations for improving the functioning of federal government research offices. Continue reading The Institute of Education Sciences: A Model for Federal Research Offices →