Selecting Interventions

Whenever possible, educators should seek to address needs identified through the needs assessment process with evidence-based practices. As noted in the Department's non-regulatory guidance on Using Evidence to Strengthen Education Investments, the selection of specific practices should be driven by factors that include (a) the strength of evidence supporting a practice; (b) the relevance of that evidence to the observed need, including similarities in education settings and student populations; and (c) the organization's capacity to implement the intervention, including human, financial, and other resources.

The resources below, developed by the Department or its contractors, may be valuable in helping you select evidence-based practices.

• Evidence-based Improvement: A Guide for States to Strengthen their Frameworks and Supports Aligned to the Evidence Requirements of ESSA, developed by WestEd for IES' Regional Educational Laboratories program.
• The Hexagon Tool, the first lesson in the State Implementation and Scaling-Up of Evidence Based Practices Center's Active Implementation Hub, supported by the Office of Special Education Program and part of the National Implementation Research Network at the University of North Carolina's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.
• Understanding ESSA Tiers of Evidence, including a video and handout, developed by the American Institutes for Research for IES' Regional Educational Laboratories program.
• The Basics of Reviewing a Research Study, developed by WestEd for IES' Regional Educational Laboratories program.
• The Institute of Education Sciences' Using the What Works Clearinghouse to Find ESSA Tiers of Evidence.