This response aims to critically evaluate the methodology and aims of the meta-analytic review written by Maggin and Johnson (2014). The present authors systematically provide responses for each of the original criticisms and highlight concerns regarding Maggin and Johnson's methodology, while objectively describing the current state of evidence…

In this commentary of "Evaluating the Gifted Program of an Urban School District Using a Modified Regression Discontinuity Design" by Davis, Engberg, Epple, Sieg, and Zimmer, we examine the background of the study, critique the methods used, and discuss the results and implications. The study used a fuzzy regression discontinuity design…

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 is a response to the document by Hughes et al. in this issue that offers a critique of the status of differential response (DR). We find the document to be helpful in intent, but do not find that it reflects scientifically sound methods, and contains many mischaracterizations of the status, impetus, research, and evaluation of DR to date. We…

This article is an invited commentary and analysis of the authors' completed systematic evaluation of Child Protective Services (CPS) differential response (DR) models. I write this commentary based on 25 years of public child welfare experience followed by 13 years as a social work professor and researcher. In their review of DR, the…

This reaction article highlights areas of agreement and disagreement with the study conducted by Hughes, Rycus, Saunders-Adams, Hughes, and Hughes on the current state of research and practice in differential response (DR). Overall, we agree with several of the arguments put forth by Hughes et al. regarding the limitations of DR research and the…

In this article, the authors responded to nine commentaries by 17 contributors to their article, "Issues in Differential Response." The authors found that a majority of the respondents agreed with the major conclusions of "Issues in Differential Response." However, there were varying degrees of disagreement regarding the…

This special series focused on treatment integrity in the child mental health and education field is timely. The articles do a laudable job of reviewing (a) the current status of treatment integrity research and measurement, (b) existing conceptual models of treatment integrity, and (c) the limitations of prior research. Overall, this thoughtful…

A rationale is presented for the systematic evaluation of gifted/talented education programs, citing the consequences of failure to carry out such evaluation. Historically, evaluation of gifted programs was not emphasized, as the evaluation process involved experimental designs, control groups, and parametric statistics which could only be…

Replies to comments by David Rush concerning the effectiveness of a WIC program in improving pregnancy outcomes among Massachusetts women. (GC)

Describes problems in implementing placebo controls in psychotherapy including the difficulty of ensuring that therapists and their patients will view both the experimental and placebo treatments as comparably credible. Considers six research issues stemming from the definitional requirement that the placebo control for the critical and specific…

An examination of the scientific basis of both control group designs and comparative designs in outcome research reveals that comparative designs generally have fewer threats to validity and provide a more efficient means of control for nonspecific treatment factors suggesting that comparative studies warrant a larger role in the study of…

In this same "Kappan" Issue, Walberg and Greenberg mistakenly allege that Success for All was developed for ulterior (financial) motives, is based on questionable research, and has had poor results. Literacy achievement has not risen for 70 years. Success for All is no panacea but is tackling this problem. (10 references) (MLH)

Researchers have only recently recognized that assertions by various educators that they have implemented educational innovations do not all mean the same thing or bear the same weight, according to the authors of this report. Efforts made by the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin to…

Comments on an article by Kotelchuck and colleagues concerning the benefits of WIC participation on pregnancy outcomes. Raises methodological considerations, especially the effects of duration of WIC participation and benefits, and the problem of matching study subjects with controls. (GC)