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.

• 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

“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