Dear Terry and others,
I think that the model set out in the study of May 2008 is good -- Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools.
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/Turnaround_pg_04181.pdf
It clearly uses the "high to low" evidence based criteria of the What Works Clearinghouse standards, and modestly rates the evidence base as low in the four main areas studied using the criteria that is clearly stated.
The What Works Clearinghouse url is found at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/.wwc
I also like the approaches to research of Dr. Gary Burlingame.
Gary M. Burlingame, Ph.D. is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Brigham Young University. His teaching includes research and assessment methods applied to psychotherapy and group psychotherapy. His research spans over 20 years and has emphasized measurement, program evaluation and group psychotherapy. He has edited, authored or co-authored four academic based books, 20 book chapters and 100+ scientific articles.
He presented at the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association a couple of years ago and showed how evidence based research could be carried out in areas where it had seemed quite difficult. Although he specializes in group psychotherapy evidence based research, I think he would be a great researcher resource in this e-learning area too.
Jo Ann