About NPDCI

• Overview
• Rationale
• Proposed Work
• Unique Features
• Funding
• Staff
• National Advisory Board
• Leadership Team
• Work Groups

Unique Features: Evidence-Based Practice Approach

We have entered a new era of accountability in which we must document claims that services and supports make a difference for children and families. From government agencies to local programs, there is a new focus on making decisions based on evidence.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) means something different to practitioners, families, researchers, and policymakers. Each group has its own agenda and interests. Practitioners and families may look to EBP to help them solve day-to-day dilemmas. Researchers may look to EBP to identify the most pressing questions from the field. And policymakers may look to scientific research to make informed decisions about how to allocate limited resources.

What is EBP?

With so many diverse groups turning to evidence-based practice, it is imperative that each have the same understanding of what the term means. The authors of a new book, Evidence-Based Practice in the Early Childhood Field, define evidence-based practice as "a decision-making process that integrates the best available research evidence with family and professional wisdom and values"-in other words, a balance of scientific proof and professional and family experience and values.

This definition empowers those directly connected to the child, parents and professionals alike, to tap into various sources of knowledge to make informed decisions. Most importantly, knowledge is not limited to research, allowing each child's experiences to be considered independently.

What will the project do?

The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) will infuse evidence-based practice into all aspects of the project's ideas, structures and decision-making frameworks. NPDCI will invite personnel, administrators, trainers, consultants and faculty to actively solve problems and collectively generate solutions to challenges they face or will face in providing professional development to support inclusion.

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Additional Resources:

• FPG Snapshot: Evidence-Based Practice Empowers Early Childhood Professionals and Families
• Evidence-Based Practice in the Early Childhood Field
  
  Resources included in the book:
  • A Policymaker's Primer on Education Research Evidence & Policy
  • Identifying and implementing educational practices supported by rigorous evidence: A user friendly guide
  • The Campbell Collaboration
  • The Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
  • The Pathways Mapping Initiative
  • The Promising Practices Network
  • The Research and Training Center on Early Childhood Development