This systematic review and meta-analysis appraised and synthesized mathematics interventions research addressing rational number concepts for students with mathematics difficulties (MD) in Grades 3-9. Included studies (n = 28) meet the What Works Clearinghouse Group Design standards (Version 4.0) for study quality. Across all studies, we found…

The report of the national response to intervention (RTI) evaluation study, conducted during 2011-2012, was released in November 2015. Anyone who has read the lengthy report can attest to its complexity and the design used in the study. Both these factors can influence the interpretation of the results from this evaluation. In this commentary, we…

This meta-analysis systematically reviewed the most up-to-date literature to determine the effectiveness of reading interventions on measures of word and pseudoword reading, reading comprehension, and passage fluency, and to determine the role intervention and study variables play in moderating the impacts for students at risk for reading…

This report examines which instructional components (e.g., visual representations, use of number lines, teaching and using of mathematical language) and study features (e.g., group size, interventionist training) may have contributed to the effectiveness of intervention. In choosing to focus on instructional components and study features, the…

Each of the five articles in this special issue gets "into the weeds" in terms of studying actual classroom or school implementation of evidence-based or promising practices. Virtually all confront the issue of logistics and establishing an infrastructure for ensuring adequate implementation. In general, those studies that ask teachers…

The purpose of this brief is to present an overall picture of how well early reading interventions are working for students in Grades 1-3. Using a meta-analytic approach, this paper combines findings from several studies to determine the effectiveness of early reading interventions for students who are struggling with learning to read.

The purpose of this analysis was to examine achievement gaps on fractions for very-low-performing students as a function of whether they receive inclusive fraction instruction or specialized fraction intervention and with the shift to Common Core State Standards (CCSS). In three randomized control trials conducted in 3 consecutive years, 203…

This summary of nine studies provides information about evidence-based practices for Tier 2 interventions and how to use Response to Intervention (RTI) in mathematics. It gives a critical technical analysis and review of research on RTI and multi-tiered instructional systems. In an earlier Center on Instruction publication, the authors described…

This article is intended to supplement a published research report (Gersten, Baker, Smith-Johnson, Dimino, & Peterson, in press) on an instructional intervention study by discussing some of the behind-the-scenes issues that typically do not appear in a published research report. In particular, I discuss how use of design experiments helped shape…

This article discusses critical issues related to conducting high-quality intervention research using experimental and quasi-experimental group designs. The importance of defining the nature of the independent variable, the value of measuring implementation, and the improvement of the quality of quasi-experiments are among the controversial topics…

This essay begins by discussing the current cynicism regarding the usefulness of research-based strategies in the field of education. Using examples of high-quality research that utilizes diverse methodologies, a framework is presented for thinking about various types of research and their implications. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This paper, a result of a series of meetings of researchers, discusses critical issues related to the conduct of high-quality intervention research in special education using experimental and quasi-experimental designs that compare outcomes for different groups of students. It stresses the need to balance design components that satisfy laboratory…

This article sets the context for the development of research quality indicators and guidelines for evidence of effective practices provided by different methodologies. The current conceptualization of scientific research in education and the complexity of conducting research in special education settings underlie the development of quality…

When attempting to determine if an intervention has a causal impact, the "gold standard" of program evaluation is the randomized controlled trial (RCT). In education studies random assignment is rarely feasible at the student level, making RCTs harder to conduct. School-level assignment is more common but this often requires considerable resources…

This introductory commentary discusses the following articles on studies that used in-depth case studies of students with learning disabilities to document individuals' progress over time, as well as the relationship between reading and writing instruction and students' development of self-regulation. The benefits of qualitative research are…