When Can You Trust the Experts?

Clear, easy principles to spot what's nonsense and what's reliable Each year, teachers, administrators, and parents face a barrage of new education software, games, workbooks, and professional development programs purporting to be "based on the latest research." While some of these products are rooted in solid science, the research behind many others is grossly exaggerated. This new book, written by a top thought leader, helps everyday teachers, administrators, and family members—who don't have years of statistics courses under their belts—separate the wheat from the chaff and determine which new educational approaches are scientifically supported and worth adopting. Author's first book, Why Don't Students Like School?, catapulted him to superstar status in the field of education Willingham's work has been hailed as "brilliant analysis" by The Wall Street Journal and "a triumph" by The Washington Post Author blogs for The Washington Post and Brittanica.com, and writes a column for American Educator In this insightful book, thought leader and bestselling author Dan Willingham offers an easy, reliable way to discern which programs are scientifically supported and which are the equivalent of "educational snake oil."

About the Author xi Acknowledgments xii Introduction: What are You to Believe? 1 Part One Why We So Easily Believe Bad Science Chapter 1 Why Smart People Believe Dumb Things 31 Chapter 2 Science and Belief: A Nervous Romance 57 Chapter 3 What Scientists Call Good Science 81 Chapter 4 How to Use Science 107 Part Two The Shortcut Solution Chapter 5 Step One: Strip It and Flip It 135 Chapter 6 Step Two: Trace It 167 Chapter 7 Step Three: Analyze It 183 Chapter 8 Step Four: Should I Do It? 207 Endnotes 223 Name Index 237 Subject Index 243