Co-Principal Investigators: Leonard, Susan; Maynard, Rebecca; Spybrook, Jessaca

In this project, researchers will promote the usefulness, sustainability, and visibility of the Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies (REES), a registry of impact studies in education. REES was initially developed with a previous IES grant to the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) in an effort to increase transparency, improve the replicability of studies, and provide easy access to information about completed and ongoing studies. REES is currently housed on an interactive website and is designed to accommodate study entries (including basic study information and pre-analysis plans) using a range of research designs, including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs.

In addition to increasing transparency, the registry has the potential to improve education policy and practice by (a) encouraging researchers to think carefully about all aspects of the study design and analysis; (b) allowing stakeholders to identify research gaps by easily locating completed and ongoing studies; (c) expediting the process of conducting research syntheses and replication studies; and (d) providing a mechanism for assessing potential publication bias in educational research. In order to reach these goals, additional work is needed. First, given that single-case designs are commonly used in special education impact studies, REES needs to be updated to accommodate these designs. Second, to ensure the longevity of the registry, REES needs to be transferred to a more sustainable platform. Third, dissemination efforts are needed to promote the visibility, credibility, and use of REES among education researchers, funders, publishers, and users of education research.

To accomplish these activities, the current project will leverage the design and development expertise at SREE with the data management expertise and infrastructure at the University of Michigan’s Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). Specifically, researchers at SREE and ICPSR will work together to develop and refine a single-case design component to add to REES; move REES from a stand-alone platform to one that is maintained and operated by ICPSR; and actively promote REES through the ICPSR website and social media, targeted outreach, meetings, and conferences.

Related IES Projects: Strengthening Education Research through Professional Development and a Trial Registry (R305U150001)