From the IES Director: IES in a Time of Pandemic

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Director Mark Schneider has published a blog post on IES activities and resources in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses many topics including the recent What Works Clearinghouse Rapid Evidence Synthesis to generate high-quality information about what works in distance education. To read the complete blog, see IES in a Time of Pandemic by Mark Schneider, Director of IES, March 31, 2020.

A gap exists between what parents and educators are asking for regarding distance learning and the evidence available in the WWC. As a result, the WWC is conducting a rapid evidence synthesis to learn more about what works in distance education asking educators and researchers to respond by April 3.

By June 1, certified WWC reviewers will prioritize and screen as many nominated studies as resources allow. All nominations will be posted to the website. Reviews will be entered in the WWC’s Review of Individual Studies Database, which can be downloaded as a flat file.

After June 1, screened studies from the WWC can be downloaded and researchers can begin their meta-analytic work. As researchers complete their syntheses, they should submit them through the ERIC online submission system and alert IES.

For more information, see the March 26, 2020 blog Seeking Your Help in Learning More About What Works in Distance Education: A Rapid Evidence Synthesis.