Early Childhood Research Quarterly 25 (2010) 348–357 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Early Childhood Research Quarterly Review The importance of doing well in whatever you do: A commentary on the special section, “Implementation research in early childhood education” Joseph A. Durlak Loyola University Chicago, Department of Psychology, 6525 North Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60626, United States article info Keywords: Implementation Outcomes Fidelity Adaptation Ecological influences abstract This commentary on the special section, “Implementation research in early childhood education,” discusses 10 major conclusions drawn from implementation research and 7 additional issues needing clarification. Some major conclusions are that: (1) the level of implementation achieved can have a strong influence on program outcomes, (2) imple- mentation is a multi-dimensional construct, (3) adaptation occurs frequently and may improve outcomes, and (4) many factors present across multiple ecological levels can affect the implementation process. Some of the major issues needing attention in future research involve determining what are the best ways to (1) measure the multiple aspects of implementation, (2) evaluate the relative importance of factors affecting implementation, and (3) clarify which participant characteristics may influence the relationship between implementation and different outcomes. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Historical context and definitions ................................................................................................. 349 2. Important findings from implementation research ............................................................................... 349 3. Major conclusions from implementation research ................................................................................ 349 3.1. Implementation influences outcomes and must be evaluated ............................................................ 349 3.2. Implementation is a multi-dimensional construct ........................................................................ 350 3.3. Implementation is imperfect and variable across providers and time .................................................... 351 3.4. Core elements of intervention ............................................................................................. 351 3.5. Adaptation is frequently inevitable and may improve outcomes ......................................................... 351 3.6. Ecological factors affect implementation .................................................................................. 352 4. Contents of this special section .................................................................................................... 352 4.1. General impressions ........................................................................................................ 352 4.2. What we need to learn ..................................................................................................... 353 4.3. Relationships among aspects of implementation .......................................................................... 353 4.4. What outcomes are affected ............................................................................................... 353 4.5. When and how often to assess implementation? ......................................................................... 353 4.6. How? ....................................................................................................................... 353 4.7. Variability across providers, proper unit of analysis, and thresholds ..................................................... 353 4.8. Factors affecting implementation .......................................................................................... 354 4.9. Training and on-going consultation ........................................................................................ 354 E-mail address: jdurlak@luc.edu. 0885-2006/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2010.03.003