Who We Are
Researchers and Evaluators Working Across the Education Evidence System
The Future of Evidence in Education Network brings together researchers and evaluators with expertise in research methods, measurement, evaluation, policy, education R&D, and evidence use. We focus on how education evidence is generated, how it is interpreted, and how it informs decisions about programs, policies, and products.
How We Began
The Network grew out of a December 2025 convening of researchers, evaluators, methodologists, and leaders responsible for producing and using education evidence. We began with the decisions state and local education leaders face, asked what evidence those decisions require, and worked backward to identify the conditions needed to produce evidence that is credible, interpretable, and relevant to those decisions.
Why the Network
The Network formed amid growing uncertainty about federal infrastructure and support for education research. At the same time, state and local leaders faced increasing pressure to make decisions about programs, policies, and products. Members drew on more than two decades of work in education research and evaluation to ask where researchers could offer useful guidance. Our first two reports grew out of those conversations.
How we work
How We Approach the Work
Our work begins with the decisions education leaders face and the evidence available to inform them. We look across study design, measurement, implementation, cost, and context, and consider how findings can contribute to knowledge beyond a single study.
Decision Context
We start by asking what decision is being made, what alternatives are under consideration, and what information is needed to make that decision.
Evidence and Inference
We distinguish what different kinds of evidence can establish, what they cannot, and where judgment or stronger evidence is still needed.
Learning Across Studies and Settings
We look for ways to connect findings across studies, populations, and settings so the field can learn more than any one study can show.
Our work
From the Education R&D System to Decisions Informed by Evidence
The Network’s first two reports address related questions. One asks what a stronger education R&D system needs to produce evidence that remains useful across studies, settings, and time. The other asks how leaders can judge whether the evidence available for a specific decision is credible, relevant, and complete enough to use.
The Network’s current work includes conversations about evidence and education R&D, responses to developments in EdTech and AI, and resources to help leaders interpret and use evidence in specific decisions.