The Special Ed Advocate newsletter It's Unique ... and Free!

Enter your email address below:

2025 Training Programs

Mar. 18-19 - VA via ZOOM Sept. 18 - MD via ZOOM Full Schedule

Wrightslaw

Home Topics from A-Z Free Newsletter Seminars & Training Yellow Pages for Kids Press Room FAQs Sitemap

Books & Training

Wrightslaw Store   Advocate's Store   Student Bookstore   Exam Copies Training Center Mail & Fax Orders

Advocacy Library

Articles Cool Tools Doing Your Homework Ask the Advocate FAQs Newsletter Archives Short Course Series Success Stories Tips

Law Library

Articles Caselaw Fed Court Complaints IDEA 2004 McKinney-Vento Homeless FERPA Section 504

Topics

Advocacy ADD/ADHD Allergy/Anaphylaxis American Indian Assistive Technology Autism Spectrum Behavior & Discipline Bullying College/Continuing Ed Damages Discrimination Due Process Early Intervention   (Part C) Eligibility Episodic, such as    Allergies, Asthma,    Diabetes, Epilepsy, etc ESSA ESY Evaluations FAPE Flyers Future Planning Harassment High-Stakes Tests Homeless Children IDEA 2004 Identification & Child Find IEPs Juvenile Justice Law School & Clinics Letters & Paper Trails LRE / Inclusion Mediation Military / DOD Parental Protections PE and Adapted PE Privacy & Records Procedural Safeguards Progress Monitoring Reading Related Services Research Based   Instruction Response to Intervention   (RTI) Restraints / Seclusion    and Abuse Retention Retaliation School Report Cards Section 504 Self-Advocacy Teachers & Principals Transition Twice Exceptional (2e) VA Special Education

Resources & Directories

Advocate's Bookstore Advocacy Resources Directories   Disability Groups   International   State DOEs   State PTIs Free Flyers Free Pubs Free Newsletters Legal & Advocacy Glossaries    Legal Terms    Assessment Terms Best School Websites

Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind FAQ's: Doing What Works

Print this page

• Accountability
  
• Choice
  
• Doing What Works
  
• Reading
  
• Safe Schools
  
• Teachers
  
• Testing

Doing What Works

19 Does No Child Left Behind do anything to prevent education fads, bad ideas or untested curricula from being used in my child's classroom?
20. What is scientifically based research?
21. How does scientifically based research apply to other federal education programs?

19. There are a lot of education fads. Does No Child Left Behind do anything to prevent bad ideas or untested curricula from being used in my child's classroom?

The No Child Left Behind Act puts a special focus on doing what works. The new law stresses the importance of selecting instructional approaches that have a proven track record. For too many years, too many schools have experimented with lessons and materials that failed and have not proven effective.

20. What is scientifically based research?

To say that an instructional practice or program is research-based, we must have carefully obtained, reliable evidence that the program or practice works. For example, an evaluation might measure a group of children who are learning how to read using different methods, and then compare the results to see which method is most successful.

No Child Left Behind moves the testing of educational practices toward the medical model. Whenever the results of scientifically controlled studies (like clinical trials) are available, educators are expected to consider their results before making instructional decisions. Under the new law, federally funded education programs or practices must be based on evidence that validates their usefulness in achieving the stated outcome specified in law.

For instance, there are five essential components of reading instruction:

· phonemic awareness,
· phonics,
· oral reading fluency,
· vocabulary development, and
· comprehension strategies.

These have all been validated through years of peer-reviewed and replicated scientific research into the practice of reading instruction. These findings were reported in the Congressionally mandated National Reading Panel report in April 2000 and have now been written into the new law. If you are more interested in this subject, call 1-800-USA-LEARN and request "Putting Reading First" for parents and "Reading Tips for Parents."

21. How does scientifically based research apply to other federal education programs?

The Department of Education is striving to conduct and collect additional research using the same high scientific standards we use for reading and to apply results to math, science, and comprehensive school reform.

To Top

To FAQs

To NCLB page

---

---