Evidence-Based Practice
Evidence-Based Practice topic editor: Sue Goode
Most recent additions to this page:
Recent federal legislation has focused on the importance of building a strong base of scientific evidence to inform educational policy and practice. As such, the 
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) was established within the U.S. Department of Education in 2002 to provide rigorous evidence on which to ground education practice and policy. IES encompasses the following national centers:
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE)
- National Center for Education Research (NCER)
- National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)
What is evidence-based practice?
NECTAC has compiled a list of selected resources on Defining, Understanding, and Implementing Evidence-Based Practice. Links are provided for those materials that are freely available full-text online. We created this list using a reference-sharing program (refworks), which allows you to sort, search for and export references. It also allows you to create APA-style bibliographies. If you have questions about how this works or how the information displays, please contact Sue Goode.
Where do you find early childhood evidence-based practices?
The resources below provide information on evidence-based practices in areas specific to early childhood care and education, professional development, early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE).
Multiple Early Childhood Topics
-
Best Evidence Encyclopedia (BEE) - John Hopkins University, School of Education - see their
review of
Effective Early Childhood Education Programs
-
Center on Instruction (COI) - Early Learning Resources
-
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University -
see their
Reports and Working Papers
-
Center on Evidenced-Based Practices (Funded by OSEP,
2001-2006) - see their
Research and Training Center (RTC) on Early Childhood Development. All of their materials are available from the
Winterberry Press, including
research syntheses and more.
- Child Trends - see their
LINKS database (Lifecourse Interventions to
Nurture Kids Successfully) - programs that work (or don't work) to improve outcomes
for children at every stage of development.
- Council for Exceptional Children, Division for Early Childhood (DEC) - see their Position/Concept Papers and Recommended Practices
-
National Association for the Education of Young
Children (NAEYC)
- see their
Position Statements
-
National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE)
-
Promising Practices Network - see their
Programs that Work section on
Early Childhood
- What Works Clearinghouse
- see the sections on
Early Childhood Education and
Special Needs.
Autism
-
National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders
(Funded by
OSEP, 2007-2012) - see their resources on
Evidence-based Practices
National Standards Project convened by the National Autism Center - see their Findings and Conclusions (2009)
Early Child Identification
-
Tracking, Referral and Assessment Center for Excellence (TRACE)
(Funded by OSEP,
2002-2007)
Early Childhood Transition
-
National Early Childhood Transition Center (NECTC)
(Funded by OSEP,
2002-2007)
Early Literacy
- Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention (2008).
-
Center for Early Literacy Learning
(Funded by
OSEP, 2006-2011)
-
Reading Rockets - Launching Young Readers (Funded by
OSEP, 2008-2011)
Home Visiting
- Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
- Supporting Evidence-Based Home Visiting - Home Visiting Models (Children's Bureau)
Inclusion
-
National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI)
(Funded by
OSEP, 2006-2011)
Professional Development
- CONNECT: The Center to
Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge (Funded by
OSEP, 2008-2012)
- Characteristics and Consequences of Adult Learning Strategies. Trivette, C., Dunst, C., Hamby, D., & O'Herin, C. (2009). Research Brief 3(1), Tots 'n Tech Research Institute.
An Evidence-Based Approach to Professional In-service Training.
Trivette, C., & Dunst, C. (2009). Presentation made at the OSEP Project Directors' Conference, July 23, 2009, Washington, DC
- National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) (Funded by OSEP, 2006-2011)
- Participatory Adult Learning Professional Development Strategy: Evidence and Examples. Trivette, C.(2009). Presentation made at the Ninth National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute, FPG Child Development Institute, Chapel Hill, NC, July 15, 2009
School Readiness
-
Promising Practices Network - see their
Programs that Work section on
Children Ready for School.
-
Effects of Preschool Curriculum Programs on School Readiness:
Report from the Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research Initiative (July 2008). Results of a study
funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
Screening, Assessment, Evaluation Instruments
-
The Evidence Behind Developmental Screening Instruments. Macy, M. (2012).
Infants and Young Children, 25(1), 19-61. doi: 10.1097/IYC.0b013e31823d37dd
Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children
-
Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (TACSEI)
(Funded by OSEP,
2008-2012)
-
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)
-
SAMSHA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices -
select
the 0-5 (Early childhood) age category when searching for early
childhood programs and practices.
- 2013 CASEL Guide: Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs - Preschool and Elementary School Edition (September 2012) - See the Preschool Program Ratings.
Many of NECTAC's topical pages also include links to evidence-based practices related to specific Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education topics.
