In an effort to provide education decision-makers with the tools they need to make choices that are guided by the best available scientific evidence, the U.S. Department of Education is seeking proposals to award a contract to develop a national clearinghouse that summarizes programs and strategies proven to be effective in improving education. The use of research-proven strategies is one of the key principles of No Child Left Behind.

"The What Works Clearinghouse will allow users to determine which programs and practices have the strongest evidence of effectiveness based on solid, reliable, scientific research," said Grover "Russ" Whitehurst, U.S. assistant secretary for the office of educational research and improvement. "Educators will have easy access to evidence regarding a variety of programs and practices that could help enhance student achievement."

The clearinghouse will be an accessible and searchable online database of evidence on the programs, practices and products that are intended to enhance academic achievement and other important educational outcomes. The new tool will contain reviews of scientific research evidence relative to claims of educational effectiveness.

Specifically, the Department will be asking the contractor to develop and maintain five databases for the clearinghouse:

• An educational interventions registry that identifies potentially replicable programs, products, and practices that are claimed to enhance important student outcomes, and synthesizes the evidence related to these interventions.
• An evaluation studies registry, which is linked electronically to the educational interventions registry, and contains information about the studies constituting the evidence of the effectiveness of the program, products, and practices reported.
• An approaches and policies registry that contains evidence-based research reviews of broader educational approaches and policies.
• A test instruments registry that contains scientifically rigorous reviews of test instruments used for assessing educational effectiveness.
• An evaluator registry that identifies evaluators and evaluation entities that have indicated their willingness and ability to conduct quality evaluations of education interventions.

For more information on the request for proposals for the What Works Clearinghouse, visit the Department of Education's Web site at: http://www.eps.gov/spg/ED/OCFO/CPO/ED-02-R-0009/listing.html.

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