Robert Slavin


Robert "Bob" Slavin, Ph.D., is an educational researcher who directs the . Born in Bethesda, Maryland in 1950, he received his B.A. in Psychology in 1972 at Reed College. He received his Ph.D. in Social Relations at Johns Hopkins University in 1975, and since then has spent his entire career at Johns Hopkins, working as a full-time researcher in research centers. He also worked part-time at the University of York in England from 2008 to 2016, co-founding and leading a research center there, the Institute for Effective Education.

Research and Impact

Dr. Slavin's research has focused on developing and evaluating methods to improve the academic performance of disadvantaged students. He is known for his work on cooperative learning, in which students work in small teams to help each other learn. Starting in 1987, he and his wife, Dr. Nancy Madden, led the development and evaluation of , a whole-school reform approach focused in particular on ensuring that all students succeed in reading. In 2020, Success for All is engaged with approximately 1000 schools in the U.S., England, and the Netherlands, using all or part of the approach.
Dr. Slavin has been a major proponent of the use of programs proven to be effective in rigorous research. He has published many meta-analyses synthesizing research on elementary and secondary reading, mathematics, writing, science, and early childhood programs. In 2007, he began a free website called the , to make these reviews available to educators and researchers. In 2017, after the U.S. Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, he launched another website, , intended to help educators determine which specific programs would meet Evidence for ESSA evidence standards.
Dr. Slavin has also carried out research on tutoring for struggling readers, programs for kindergarten, writing, mathematics, social-emotional learning, and many other topics. In all, he has published more than 300 refereed articles.

Awards and Honors

AERA Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award, 2019
Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health, 2018
E. L. Thorndike Award for Distinguished Psychological Contributions to Education, American Psychological Association, 2017
Honorary Doctorate, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, 2014
AERA Fellow, 2010 to present
AERA Review of Research Award, 2009
Member, National Academy of Education, 2009 to present
Palmer O. Johnson Award, American Educational  Research Association, 2008                                                                      
Honorary Doctorate, University of Ghent, Belgium, 2008.
University of Pennsylvania-CPRE Award for Contributions to Educational Research, 2005
Distinguished Service Award, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2000
Honorary Doctorate, University of Liège, Belgium, 1999
James Bryant Conant Award, Education Commission of the States, 1998
Charles A. Dana Award, 1994
Palmer 0. Johnson Award, American Educational Research Association, 1988
Raymond B. Cattell Early Career Award for Programmatic Research, American Educational Research Association, 1985