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Evidence-Based Practice

Description of Evidence-Based Practice

The evidence-based practice movement has gained tremendous momentum in the past few years, with developments in psychology, medicine, psychiatry, education, and prevention science. The term evidencebased practice refers to the deliberate use of current best scientific evidence when making decisions and selecting interventions for children, youth, and families. At the core of evidence-based practice is (a) a recognition of the value of science for all methods involved in psychological and educational practice, (b) a commitment to using evidence from systematic research when selecting and implementing schoolbased interventions, and (c) a commitment to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of interventions implemented in applied settings. Evidence-based practice is not married to a particular theoretical orientation or strategy but instead is driven by objective, scientifically credible evidence.

The unprecedented movement toward identifying research-based practices that can be effectively implemented in schools and other applied settings is grounded in several conceptual and practical considerations. These considerations include the explosion of knowledge regarding evidence-based interventions (EBIs) across many disciplines; the societal demands for accountability in education and health care; the severe consequences associated with academic, behavioral, and social-emotional problems that go untreated; the costs associated with frequent adoption and rejection of non–evidence-based practices; and the need to narrow the gap between research and practice. In the context of the emphasis on identifying and implementing evidence-based practices, a high priority in the research agenda is examining the transportability or movement of interventions that have been successful in university-based efficacy studies to applied community settings. This priority includes not only helping educators make informed decisions regarding effective interventions that can be feasibly integrated into school settings but also examining the contextual barriers and constraints that make it challenging to implement research-based practices in schools.

Evidence-Based Practice in Schools

The need to identify research-based practices in education and psychology has led to a proliferation of professional organizations and groups committed to reviewing the scientific evidence in support of different interventions and disseminating information to their respective professions. These groups include the Interdisciplinary Committee on Youth Mental Health Care, the National Reading Panel, the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, the U.S. Department of Education, What Works Clearinghouse, the Task Force on Empirically Supported Interventions in Clinical Psychology, and the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology (see Table 1). These professional groups and organizations focused on the evidence-based practice movement have adopted professional agendas that progress through a sequence of activities, including identifying research studies, developing criteria to evaluate the evidence, reviewing the evidence, and, finally, disseminating the evidence.

Reviewing the Evidence

Professional organizations involved in the evidence-based practice movement have begun to articulate what constitutes appropriate evidence to support particular interventions. The American Psychological Association (APA) Division 12 Committee on Science and Practice, Division 53 Committee for Empirically Supported Practice, and the Interdisciplinary Committee on Evidence-Based Youth Mental Health Care created one of the first manuals for coding evidence-based interventions. The manual is intended to guide the coding of psychosocial intervention outcome studies based on criteria developed by these committees. Reviewers are also asked to note related information on the dimensions of the intervention and to determine whether the intervention meets criteria deemed beneficial. This coding schema follows a categorical approach to evaluating EBIs, with the highest level of classification being well-established interventions, which have been shown to be more effective than no intervention or psychological placebo and are at least equivalent to established treatments. The second level is probably efficacious interventions, which have evidence to show that they are promising but have not been replicated by independent research teams. Finally, interventions that do not meet the criteria for the other two categories are considered experimental.

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