What Works May Hurt
Side Effects in Education

Yong Zhao (Author)

9780807759059

Paperback / softback, published 29 June 2018

176 pages
22.6 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.258 kg

Yong Zhao shines a light on the long-ignored phenomenon of side effects of education policies and practices, bringing a fresh and perhaps surprising perspective to evidence-based practices and policies. Identifying the adverse effects of some of the “best” educational interventions with examples from classrooms to boardrooms, the author investigates causes and offers clear recommendations.

• Contents
• Acknowledgments 
  - vii
• Introduction 
  - 1
• 1. 
  When Risks Outweigh Benefits: The Effectiveness, Effects, and Side Effects of NCLB  
  - 7
• The Diagnosis and Prescription 
  - 7
• The Effects and Effectiveness of NCLB 
  - 11
• Side Effects of NCLB 
  - 15
• Summary 
  - 21
• 2. 
  The Missed Lesson from Medical Research for Education: Why Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) Couldn’
  t Cure Reading First 
  - 24
• The Case of Reading First 
  - 24
• Side Effects: The Missed Lesson from Medicine 
  - 32
• Moving Beyond RCT: A Summary 
  - 36
• 3. 
  Unproductive Successes and Productive Failures: Direct Instruction and Classroom Side Effects 
  - 38
• The Grievance of Direct Instruction 
  - 40
• Effectiveness Versus Effects of Direct Instruction 
  - 43
• Effects and Side Effects of Direct Instruction 
  - 50
• Summary 
  - 54
• 4. 
  At What Cost: Side Effects at the System Level in East Asia 
  - 56
• The Surprising Admiration for East Asian Education 
  - 56
• Evidence of Effectiveness 
  - 57
• The Asian Treatment 
  - 60
• Asian Treatment at Work: Effects and Side Effects 
  - 65
• Summary 
  - 74
• 5. 
  The Rabbit Hole of Visible Learning:Invisible Side Effects Lurk Ahead 
  - 75
• Many Educational Outcomes 
  - 78
• An Ecological Metaphor 
  - 79
• Outcomes Versus Outcomes: Side Effects of Pursuing Academic Achievement 
  - 82
• Summary 
  - 88
• 6. 
  From When Is It Effective to Who Gets Hurt: When Vouchers Don’
  t Work 
  - 89
• Aptitude–
  Treatment Interaction 
  - 90
• Lessons from ATI Research 
  - 92
• From Effects to Side Effects 
  - 94
• Who Gets Hurt: The Case of School Vouchers 
  - 96
• Summary 
  - 103
• 7. 
  The Futile Quest for Panacea: Wars, Pendulum Swings, and Snake Oil in Education 
  - 104
• Cyclical Warfare and Pendulum Swings in Education 
  - 105
• The Elusive Middle Ground 
  - 109
• The Quest for Panacea 
  - 110
• Neglecting Side Effects 
  - 114
• Raging Wars and New Panacea: A Summary 
  - 116
• 8. 
  Study Side Effects Now: A Call to Action 
  - 118
• Why Study Side Effects? 
  - 119
• Why Haven’
  t We?  
  - 126
• A Call to Action 
  - 128
• Side Effects of Studying Side Effects: Conclusion 
  - 132
• References 
  - 133
• Index 
  - 156
• About the Author 
  - 168