ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on two types of inquiry that have been at the heart of recent discussions of evidence-based decisions: randomized field trials designed to examine the effects of interventions and nationally representative surveys. It discusses the potential benefits that might be gained by integrating impact studies with longitudinal surveys of schools. One area in which evidence is needed concerns factors that place schools at risk of low performance or buffer schools from these risks. Randomized field trials (RFTs) can also play a number of roles in developing coherent school programs. RFTs, for example, might be used to explore whether whole-school reform models help facilitate instructional program coherence and alignment. The chapter discusses the integration of RFTs and national surveys in the context of the benefits of shared research questions, theoretical and conceptual perspectives, measures, results, and interpretations.
