Building a Stronger Education Evidence System
A cross-sector group of researchers and evaluators working to strengthen how education evidence is generated, interpreted, and used.
Who we are
Network Expertise
Our members bring expertise in research methods, evaluation, policy, R&D, technology, and evidence use.
Methods and Design
Causal inference, research design, statistical power in field settings, effect heterogeneity, and generalizability: methodological approaches for understanding what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
EdTech, AI, and Evidence
Research on how EdTech and AI-enabled tools are developed, implemented, and evaluated in schools, including how to generate credible evidence as products change and distinguish product metrics from evidence of educational impact.
Evaluation and Evidence Standards
Large-scale evaluations, evidence synthesis, and the development and application of standards for judging the credibility and relevance of education research.
Evidence Use in Systems
Procurement and contracting, cost and cost-effectiveness, and how organizational and implementation constraints shape the evidence education systems need and can use.
Context
Why This Work Now
Education research has always been produced through multiple channels, but the landscape of federal support for education R&D is changing. As funding, priorities, and institutional roles shift, more evidence may be generated and used through a more decentralized set of channels and on faster cycles. Education leaders need guidance for their own settings and student groups. Yet even rigorous studies estimate effects for particular populations, settings, and conditions, leaving an important question about whether and how those findings apply elsewhere.
AI and education technology compound these challenges. Products change quickly, platforms generate abundant metrics that are easy to misinterpret, and measures of use or performance can be mistaken for evidence of educational impact. Researchers and education leaders need to distinguish among the questions different forms of evidence can answer.
Featured Work
