Become a WWC-Certified Reviewer

The mission of the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is to be a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education. A distinguishing feature of the WWC is that it does not directly assess programs, policies, or practices, but instead, reviews and reports on the findings from existing research. These reviews are conducted by certified WWC reviewers.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring two trainings on the WWC’s evidence standards and procedures for assessing whether individual research studies meet those standards. Attendees will learn about WWC standards and how they apply to research design, methodology, and other technical issues.

These trainings are the first step to becoming a WWC-certified reviewer. The trainings use a combination of presentations and interactive exercises to help potential reviewers learn the WWC’s review standards and procedures for assessing whether individual research studies meet those standards. After attending a seminar, participants will be expected to complete the WWC’s certification process. This consists of passing a multiple-choice test and successfully completing a study review.

October 8–9: Group Design Training (Oakland, CA)
This 2-day training will focus on WWC standards and how they apply to research design, methodology, and other technical issues specific to educational contexts. Researchers who are interested in attending the training should submit a current CV to Diana.McCallum@ed.gov by 12:00 pm EDT on Wednesday, September 4. Participants who are selected to attend will be notified by Friday, September 6, and further details will be provided at that time.

Qualifications: The WWC training process is challenging. Participants should possess strong design and analysis skills in order to understand technical concepts about study design, calculating effect sizes, and determining statistical significance of findings.

October 25: Single-Case Design Training (Washington, DC)
This 1-day training will focus on the WWC’s single-case design standards and how they apply to research design, methodology, and other technical issues specific to educational contexts. Researchers who are interested in attending the training should submit a current CV to Diana.McCallum@ed.gov by 12:00 pm EDT on Thursday, September 12. Participants who are selected to attend will be notified by Monday, September 16, and further details will be provided at that time.

Qualifications: The WWC training and certification process is challenging. Participants should possess knowledge of single-case design studies (e.g., reversal/withdrawal designs, multiple-baseline designs, and alternating treatment designs) and of using visual analysis to assess the quality of single-case design evidence).

Learn more at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/event.aspx?sid=29