On December 12, 2018, the What Works Clearinghouse hosted a webinar on how WWC resources can support use of high-quality research evidence in decision making.

The webinar covered the following:

• The need for high-quality research that has been vetted by experts;
• An overview of the WWC resources and how different WWC evidence levels are designated;
• Strategies that administrators can use to effectively identify and select relevant sources within the WWC; and
• Recommendations for sharing relevant research and additional WWC resources with teachers and other staff in easily understandable ways.

Though educators understand the importance of using research evidence to inform decision making, many K-12 teachers and district administrators struggle to incorporate research into their practice. Several factors contribute to this challenge, including limited access to relevant research, lack of time to find and review research, and lack of training on research methods and statistics. While administrators may want to share more research evidence with school- and district-level staff, they need clear, engaging, and actionable resources to increase research use. This webinar explained how the WWC provides resources to support communication and decision making.

Presenters:

• Bridget E. Thomas, Quality Information Partners
• Lyzz Davis, American Institutes for Research
• Heather Boughton, Director, Office of Research, Evaluation & Advanced Analytics, Ohio Department of Education

Released: December 2018