ABSTRACT
Along with parents, educators are at the heart of ensuring a good quality of life for learners with special educational needs, regardless of where their education takes place. The central idea in this book is that, to enhance their performance, educators could, and should, be drawing upon the best available evidence as they plan, implement and evaluate their teaching. Indeed, in the United States, the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law requires teachers to use ‘scientific, research-based programs’, defined as: ‘(1) grounded in theory; (2) evaluated by third parties; (3) published in peer-reviewed journals; (4) sustainable; (5) replicable in schools with diverse settings; and (6) able to demonstrate evidence of effectiveness’. As well, NCLB requires each state to ensure that all learners (including those with disabilities) make ‘adequate yearly progress’, i.e., ‘continuous and substantial improvement’.1 The recent establishment of centres specializing in gathering and disseminating evidence-based education policies and practices provides further support for the growing commitment to evidence-based education in the US.2
