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Comments on Slavin: Bringing Answers to Educators: Guiding Principles for Research Syntheses

A senior fellow and an associate director at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., 600 Alexander Park, Princeton, NJ 08540; MDynarski{at}mathematica-mpr.com. He is also the director of the What Works Clearinghouse. His research focuses on education program evaluations and research methodology.

Research syntheses are appealing because they enable decision makers to determine quickly whether policies, programs, and practices will have effects on student achievement and, if so, the magnitudes of the likely effects. Such syntheses should present objective, clear, scientifically accurate, and defensible evidence in terms that educators can use in making their decisions. The syntheses should also give the most weight to research with strong causal validity and should consider sources of bias and use procedures that reduce or eliminate bias. To that end, it is hoped that theoretical development of standards will help researchers to assess the trade-offs that need to be made in weighing the evidence to be used in syntheses. Creating methods for assessing the extent of evidence in syntheses will enhance their usefulness in evidence-informed decision making.

Key Words: causal inference • program evaluation • research syntheses

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				R. E. Slavin Response to Comments: Evidence-Based Reform in Education: Which Evidence Counts? Educational Researcher, January 1, 2008; 37(1): 47 - 50. [Full Text] [PDF]