Mission 

The E.G. West Institute for Effective Schooling (WIES – pronounced ‘wise’) is an objective, nonpartisan policy research institute devoted to the creation and dissemination of new knowledge about how to design and build high performing K-12 education systems.

Reform Imperative / Reform Failure

Like many around the world, the U.S. K-12 education system is alarmingly ineffective, as evidenced by the nation's report card, and continued low rankings on international assessments.  One of the primary reasons U.S. school systems are stuck at 'Nation at Risk' levels of performance is because new reforms are typically just old fads or dogmas draped in new jargon and calls for higher spending.  There are too many unanswered questions about what works to improve schools, and perhaps even more importantly what doesn’t, and why.  Without more knowledge about what happens inside the “black box” of education reforms, history merely repeats itself time and again.  Ideological battles rage with scant relevant evidence to support calls for the systemic changes virtually everyone involved in the debate knows are necessary. 

We need your help 

There are many ways that you can become a WIES teammate: become a WIES scholar or recruiter; review WIES studies and provide feedback; help to spread the word; or make a donation, or help us connect with donors and other policy research organizations.

Focus

WIES is a unique organization that seeks to supplement and complement, not duplicate, the work of other education policy research organizations.  Through a commitment to objectivity and intellectual diversity, we seek to shed light on many of the important, yet often overlooked issues that shape policymaking.  From economists who seek to study the effect of price controls to political theorists who will examine the effects of advocacy coalitions, WIES will introduce fresh insights about how effective school systems are created, how they operate, and how to get there from the current status quo.  To achieve this goal, WIES will also serve as a bridge between researchers, policymakers, and the public by providing timely reviews of research written with a focus on helping to make new information and research findings clear and concise. 

If you have any questions about the E.G. West Institute for Effective Schooling please click here.