What Works May Hurt

Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and a professorial fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy at Victoria University in Australia. He is a recipient of the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association and is an elected fellow of the International Academy for Education.

“Zhao’s audience of educational researchers, faculty of higher education, school administrators, and classroom teachers will not only be intrigued by Zhao’s findings, but inspired to advocate for a much-needed shift in how educational initiatives are brought into schools.”―Teachers College Record

• ContentsAcknowledgments  - viiIntroduction  - 11. When Risks Outweigh Benefits: The Effectiveness, Effects, and Side Effects of NCLB   - 7The Diagnosis and Prescription  - 7The Effects and Effectiveness of NCLB  - 11Side Effects of NCLB  - 15Summary  - 212. The Missed Lesson from Medical Research for Education: Why Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) Couldn’t Cure Reading First  - 24The Case of Reading First  - 24Side Effects: The Missed Lesson from Medicine  - 32Moving Beyond RCT: A Summary  - 363. Unproductive Successes and Productive Failures: Direct Instruction and Classroom Side Effects  - 38The Grievance of Direct Instruction  - 40Effectiveness Versus Effects of Direct Instruction  - 43Effects and Side Effects of Direct Instruction  - 50Summary  - 544. At What Cost: Side Effects at the System Level in East Asia  - 56The Surprising Admiration for East Asian Education  - 56Evidence of Effectiveness  - 57The Asian Treatment  - 60Asian Treatment at Work: Effects and Side Effects  - 65Summary  - 745. The Rabbit Hole of Visible Learning:Invisible Side Effects Lurk Ahead  - 75Many Educational Outcomes  - 78An Ecological Metaphor  - 79Outcomes Versus Outcomes: Side Effects of Pursuing Academic Achievement  - 82Summary  - 886. From When Is It Effective to Who Gets Hurt: When Vouchers Don’t Work  - 89Aptitude–Treatment Interaction  - 90Lessons from ATI Research  - 92From Effects to Side Effects  - 94Who Gets Hurt: The Case of School Vouchers  - 96Summary  - 1037. The Futile Quest for Panacea: Wars, Pendulum Swings, and Snake Oil in Education  - 104Cyclical Warfare and Pendulum Swings in Education  - 105The Elusive Middle Ground  - 109The Quest for Panacea  - 110Neglecting Side Effects  - 114Raging Wars and New Panacea: A Summary  - 1168. Study Side Effects Now: A Call to Action  - 118Why Study Side Effects?  - 119Why Haven’t We?   - 126A Call to Action  - 128Side Effects of Studying Side Effects: Conclusion  - 132References  - 133Index  - 156About the Author  - 168