The What Works Clearinghouse was established in 2002 by the US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education.

The WWC aims to promote informed education decision making through a set of easily accessible databases and user-friendly reports that provide education consumers with ongoing, high-quality reviews of the effectiveness of replicable educational interventions (programs, products, practices, and policies) that intend to improve student outcomes.

To do this, the WWC developed standards for reviewing and synthesizing research and selected topics for review.

The WWC is currently conducting systematic reviews of existing research, and producing WWC Reports that describe the findings of these reviews.

A Technical Advisory Group (TAG) composed of leading experts in research design, program evaluation, and research synthesis works with the WWC to ensure the quality and integrity of its efforts.

The TAG advises on standards for the WWC Reports, monitors and informs the methodological aspects of the WWC Reports, and reviews and recommends improvements to the WWC Reports.