Publications
Q: What types of publications does the WWC produce?
A: The WWC offers reviews of evidence on broad topics in education, identifies interventions shown by rigorous research to be effective, and develops targeted reviews of interventions through four publications: quick reviews, intervention reports, topic reports, and practice guides.
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Q: What is a quick review?
A: WWC quick reviews examine recently released research papers and reports. They are designed to provide education practitioners and policymakers with timely and objective assessments of the quality of the research evidence. Quick reviews focus on studies of the effectiveness of education or school-based programs serving students in pre-kindergarten through post-secondary grades. To be eligible for the quick review process a study must: (1) examine the effectiveness of an education or school-based program in improving student outcomes, and (2) have been recently released to the public and reported in a major national news source. The ratings and research summaries included in WWC quick reviews are based only on publicly available information.
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Q: What is an intervention report?
A: Intervention reports assess the rigor of the research evidence on the effectiveness of specific interventions within a topic area, rating each based on WWC Evidence Standards. Each report offers an overview of the intervention, summarizes all relevant research, and provides an overall rating of effectiveness and improvement index for outcomes associated with the topic. Intervention reports go through a rigorous peer review process.
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Q: What is a topic report?
A: Topic reports briefly describe a topic and provide an overview of ratings of effectiveness, improvement indexes, and effect size by outcome areas for each intervention the WWC assesses on that topic. Topic reports also note the overall strength of the research base for each intervention, providing an accessible picture of interventions with studies that meet WWC Evidence Standards. Topic reports only cover interventions with studies passing WWC standards.
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Q: What is a practice guide?
A: A practice guide presents recommendations for educators to address challenges in a particular area. It also provides an overview of the evidence that supports these recommendations. Supported by research evidence and the expert opinions and experiences of panel members, recommendations are designed to be implemented by educators or education administrators in their classroom or school. Practice guides are subject to a rigorous peer review process and are the most frequently downloaded publications produced by the WWC.
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