ABSTRACT

In the United States, the emphasis in recent reforms in education on accountability and outcomes-based activities has encouraged a surge of research interest. An industry of task forces and research activity, variously described as a movement (Kratochwill and Shernoff 2004) or a bandwagon (Hoagwood and Johnson 2003), depending on one’s perspective, has developed. Mandates within American legislation (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, in particular) are requiring educators to embrace and implement what has come to be known as evidencebased research, or evidence-based practice (Dirkx 2006; Kratochwill 2002; Gutkin 2002; Reschly 2004; Schaughency and Ervin 2006).