Portland, OR. November 1, 2006 –– No Child Left Behind and Randomized Control Trials: two terms that everyone in education knows all too well - and you can't have one without the other. Educators and evaluators attending the American Evaluation Association's Annual Conference this week will have the opportunity to learn how the research community, textbook publishers, and schools are now effectively collaborating to implement No Child Left Behind's mandated Randomized Control Trials to demonstrate the efficacy of curriculum materials.

The un-schooled might consider Randomized Control Trials somewhat of an oxymoron. But, for those in the know, these highly sophisticated research studies are a required ingredient in the formula for No Child Left Behind compliance.

Pearson Education's Director of Academic Research, Marcy Baughman, said, "Compliance with the Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse demands that more Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) in curriculum evaluation be conducted; however, few evaluators are discussing ways to prepare, launch, and successfully implement an RCT in educational settings."

Rebecca M. Eddy, Ph.D., and Tiffany Berry, Ph.D., both Research Assistant Professors at Claremont Graduate University, were principal investigators for a recent efficacy study of Pearson Prentice Hall's high school Biology curriculum in collaboration with five schools across four states. Dr. Eddy noted, "As researchers, we must manage working with schools and districts that have a variety of local needs while measuring student mastery of state and national curriculum standards." She added, "There's no question that working directly with teachers and publishers allows researchers the most direct way of assessing the effectiveness of educational curriculum materials, and provides unique insight into the design of educational products." Dr. Berry noted, "Working closely with teachers also highlights the complexity of accurately capturing how teachers implement the curriculum across a diverse student body. Without the cooperation of teachers in allowing us to observe them in action, this study would not have been so successful."

Teachers from two Ohio schools that participated in the study will also be presenting at the conference. Jenifer Circle-Potter, Science Department Chair at Unioto High School in Chillicothe, has taught biology and zoology for 16 years. She said, "Drs. Eddy and Berry implemented a scientific evaluation that allowed us to study how our program works with all types of learners over the course of a full school year." She added, "I agree with the researchers' basic tenet that this type of information about learning cannot be found in a laboratory, so I welcomed the opportunity to participate in this incredibly valuable study."

"As a science teacher, I always teach research, controls, variables, confidentiality with human studies, etc. to my students. So, this was indeed a unique opportunity for my class to be part of a non-biased study," said Kimberly Lewis, Science Department Chair at Ohio's Wellston High School. She added, "We were honored to participate in research that will provide insight into the techniques and strategies that will best serve all students and teachers."

Dr. Eddy noted that the results of the collaborative model for Randomized Control Trials are numerous, including: investigating product implementation in multiple classroom environments that are dissimilar; increased frequency of scientifically evaluating educational curriculum; design considerations when moving from the laboratory to an applied educational setting without sacrificing internal validity; and developing effective partnerships between evaluators, publishers, and school systems to pave the way for future studies.

Participants in the November 3 Panel discussion include:
Rebecca M. Eddy, Ph.D., Session Chair - Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
Tiffany Berry, Ph.D. - Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
Marcy Baughman - Director, Academic Research, Pearson Education
Jennifer Circle-Potter - Chair, Biology Department, Unioto High School, Chillicothe, OH
Kimberly Lewis - Chair, Biology Department, Wellston High School, Wellston, OH
Tina Christie, Ph.D., - Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA

About Pearson Education

Educating 100 million people worldwide, Pearson Education (www.pearsoned.com)is the global leader in educational publishing, providing scientifically research-based print and digital programs to help students of all ages learn at their own pace, in their own way. The company is home to such renowned publishing brands as Pearson Prentice Hall, Pearson Scott Foresman, Pearson Educational Measurement, Pearson Assessments, Pearson Learning Group, Pearson Digital Learning, and many others. Pearson Education is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. In addition to Pearson Education, Pearson's primary operations include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

CONTACT:

Kate Miller
kate.miller@pearson.com
800 745.8489