NICHCY Connections...to Special Education Research: Where to Start?

These days, we hear more and more about the importance of using research to make decisions regarding children with disabilities. That certainly makes sense---research can point us in the right direction of "what works" and what doesn't in any number of areas where decisions must be made. And there are a lot of areas! From the parent to the administrator, from the advocate to the occupational therapist, from the teacher to the early interventionist, our decisions span a spectrum of issues, concerns, systems, children, and outcomes. We hope that improving our decisions---or at least basing them on evidence of effectiveness---will improve our service systems, which in turn will lead to an even deeper bottom line: Improving educational and life outcomes for children who have disabilities.

Research Basics

As we said above, it's important to know a bit (well, a lot!) about research, if you're going to read it and apply it to your local circumstances. We've been steadily building a collection of research pages to help our visitors do just that. So to lay the groundwork before plunging into unexpectedly deep water, you might want to start with these basic NICHCY Connections pages:

• Research 101
  These resources will answer the question: What makes for good research?
• Research 102: Adding Up the Evidence
  It's a standard research practice to look across a variety of studies to see what kind of conclusions we can draw from the body of research on a subject. The resources in our Research 102 explain how researchers combine the findings of multiple research studies to draw more solid conclusions than any one study can tell you.
• Making Sense of Statistics in Research
  Don't let the stats throw you. Here's a cheat sheet to what all those terms mean.
• Weighing Info for Its Worth
  As we've mentioned, it's not a good idea to take research purely at its face value. But how do you weigh what you're reading to judge its credibility? Here are some tips to help you become a savvy consumer.

Of course, NICHCY is just wading into the waters, too. So here are a few more resources on the basics you might find helpful.

• Scientific Research in Education.
  From the National Academies Press, 2002. Available online at:
  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10236
• Understanding and Using Education Statistics: It's Easier (and More Important) Than You Think.
  From the Educational Research Service, 2003. Order by calling 1.800.791.9308, or order online at: www.ers.org
• Evidence Matters: Randomized Trials in Education Research.
  From the Brookings Institution, 2002. Available online at:
  www.brookings.edu/press/books/evidence_matters.htm

Applying Research

Okay, you've got the basics under your belt. Now you want to take the research you've read about and actually use it. How do you do that? Easier said than done, but here are some resources that are sure to help.

• Using data to drive and inform school change.
  http://data.edreform.net/
  The Data Drive Reform Network at the Education Reform Network connects you to resources and publications on how and why to use data as the basis for decision making. The materials are organized into the following categories: accountability systems; analyzing school data; building capacity for data use; standards-based instruction; standardized testing; state standards; success indicators; public engagement; technology; and school, district, and state report cards.
• Implementing results-based decisionmaking: Advice from the field.
  www.fpg.unc.edu/~eco/pdfs/1999WELFAREBARRIERS.pdf
  This report was published jointly by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and The Finance Project. More than 50 leaders in the field provide advice on measuring the success of their supports for children and families by the results or outcomes they achieve for individuals, families, and communities. It covers various dimensions of results-based decision-making, including strategic planning that logically connects strategies to the outcomes.
• Using research and reason in education: How teachers can use scientifically based research to make curricular and instructional decisions.
  http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/html/stanovich/
  from the Partnership for Reading, May 2003.
• Help for schools.
  http://www.mc3edsupport.org/community/knowledgebases.php?node=8
  The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that schools take certain steps towards improvement. The School Improvement KnowledgeBase at the link above contains information and resources to help schools accomplish these tasks using a step-by-step, well-designed process. If you're in the driver's seat---or anywhere in the car!---you'll wanna come here.
• A Policymaker's Primer on Education Research: How to Understand, Evaluate, and Use It.
  www.ecs.org/ecsmain.asp?page=/html/educationIssues/Research/primer/index.asp%20
  A joint effort of Mid-Continent Research for Education (McREL) and the Education Commission of the States, 2004.
• Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide.
  www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/rigorousevid
  from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 2003.
• Improving Student Learning: A Strategic Plan for Education Research and Its Utilization.
  Available from the National Academies Press.
  Order by calling 1.888.624.8373, or order online at: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/6488.html

Remembering the Reason Why

Why is getting research into practice so important? Certainly, it make great good sense to use what's effective and to spread the word so that others benefit from our knowledge. In the end, though, it's really about the well-being of the infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities who are our sons and daughters, family members, clients, friends, and responsibility. They will be the primary beneficiaries of improving our practice.