Evidence-Based Reform and No Child Left Behind: Next Time, Use What Works

No Child Left Behind appeared to be a major victory for evidence-based reform in education, but it has instead been a major setback. Despite language throughout NCLB calling for the use of scientifically evaluated programs, such programs have in fact been largely shut out of Reading First and ignored in parts of the law such as supplemental educational services and turnaround programs for schools not meeting standards. This article recommends strategies to make evidence central to the reauthorization of NCLB. These include adding clarity about which programs have strong evidence of effectiveness and providing competitive preference points for proposals to implement proven programs.