Stockard, Jean2023-04-122023-04-122013https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2817940 pagesThis report provides an analysis of why the conclusions of the WWC regarding DI differ so markedly from the extant scholarly literature. The first section discusses issues related to criteria regarding exclusion or inclusion of studies and the WWC review procedures. Areas discussed include the ways in which reviews focus on narrow curricular programs, fail to examine or consider the characteristics of the programs, apply an arbitrary time limit to the included studies, and use standards for review that differ markedly from those generally used in the social sciences, excluding most field-based studies and those using advanced statistical methods. The second section examines the studies of DI programs that the WWC has found to meet their inclusion criteria, either with or without reservation. It documents serious errors in decisions regarding 4 of the 7 studies that were deemed as meeting their criteria “without reservation.” The third and fourth sections analyze content of the WWC report on Reading Mastery and students with learning disabilities that was initially posted in July 2012, reviewing errors in inclusion and exclusion of studies. Over twenty research studies that could have been included in the WWC review are examined, detailing the design and conclusions of the studies, the effect size associated with their results, and reasons that the WWC might reject the study for inclusion.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USEducational InterventionTechnical ReportWhat Works Clearinghouse (WWC)Examining the What Works Clearinghouse and Its Reviews of Direct Instruction ProgramsTechnical Report