Doing What Works (DWW) is an exciting new website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. DWW is dedicated to helping educators identify and make use of effective teaching practices.

DWW is led by the Office of Planning, Evaluation & Policy Development (OPEPD) at the U.S. Department of Education. OPEPD relies on the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education (IES) (and occasionally other entities that adhere to standards similar to those of IES) to evaluate and recommend practices that are supported by rigorous research.

Much of the DWW content is based on IES’ What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). The WWC evaluates research on practices and interventions to let the education community know what is likely to work. For each practice, it issues a guide and/or an intervention report that describes what the practice involves and what the research says. In addition, some DWW content is based on other information and materials from IES.

Then, DWW provides examples of possible ways educators might apply those research findings, but these are not necessarily the only ways to carry out these teaching practices. Importantly, the examples provided on DWW – including any products named in school materials or found on websites referenced on DWW – should not be construed as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any products, programs, or curricula.

Finally, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Office of English Language Acquisition, and other Departmental offices help to disseminate the tools and resources so that research-based practices can be implemented in our nation’s classrooms.

Throughout this process, the Department is always looking for ways to improve. It is our goal to meet the needs of educators across the country. If you have ideas on how the products and/or services identified by DWW can be improved, please let us know by sending an email to doingwhatworks@ed.gov.

As researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, we care about providing a quality education to all of our nation’s children. The No Child Left Behind Act, passed in 2001, is designed to ensure that this happens. It is holding schools accountable for helping all students to read and do math at grade level by 2014. To help schools reach this goal, the law requires:

• Highly qualified teachers in every classroom.
• Timely information and options for parents.
• Annual assessments and disaggregated data to monitor progress.
• The restructuring of schools that are failing to make progress.

The law also gives states and districts the freedom and flexibility to invest in what works.

The more we share examples of tools and materials available to educators about research-based instructional practices the more likely it will be that they can affect an increase in student achievement. And as student achievement increases, we can meet our goal of proficiency for all children in reading and mathematics by 2014!

Thank you for visiting DWW!