Numerous studies have assessed the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as school closures and stay-at-home orders, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such assessments can inform public health policy and contribute to evidence-based choices of NPIs during subsequent
waves or future epidemics. However, methodological issues and a lack of common standards have limited the practical value of the existing evidence. Based on our work and literature review, we discuss lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and make recommendations for standardizing and improving assessment, data collection, and modeling. These recommendations can contribute to more reliable and policy-relevant assessments of NPI effectiveness during future epidemics.