Randomized Field Trials: An Opportunity for Public Schools and Universities to Collaborate in the Accountability Requirements of No Child Left Behind

The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) believes that randomized field trials hold the same promise for improving education as they have had for medical practices. When research studies in education are designed using an experimental model, they are more likely to result in outcomes that can be attributed to the intervention and not to other factors, enabling educational practitioners to draw effectively on rigorous evidence to close the gap for students at risk of academic failure. The collaboration with universities on randomized field testing can assist public schools in meeting the accountability requirements of NCLB by improving both teaching and learning. Collaboration will also provide the scientifically-based research required for most federal and state grants that are specifically designed to improve mandated state testing scores by closing existing gaps for students at risk of academic failure, improving attendance and graduation rates, as well as reducing truancy and campus violence.