Getting Evidence into Education: Evaluating the Routes to Policy and Practice / Edition 1

by Stephen Gorard

Overview

Worldwide, there has been considerable progress in the quality of research evidence generated for use in education, but not the equivalent growth in knowledge of how best to get this evidence into actual use. Yet with far-reaching implications, all of education is damaged when persuasive but poor-quality evidence has widespread influence, or good research lies unused. Focused on the work of the Durham University Evidence Centre for Education, Getting Evidence into Education addresses this problem, examining what can be done to improve the take-up of suitable research evidence and inform the public service of education.

Containing a variety of case studies, from evidence-based policies for early childhood education in Brazil, to the use of evidence on contextualized admissions to Scottish universities, the volume explores a variety of different ways to approach the problem, addressing the questions:

• What is the existing evidence on different approaches to getting research evidence into use?
• What are the factors which influence the uptake of high-quality research evidence by policy or practice?
• Which are the most effective pathways for evidence-into-use in particular contexts?

Considering both the practical and ethical implications, the book builds towards key recommendations for the research community, practitioner bodies and policy-makers and advisors, directing them on how to communicate better with each other for the benefit of everyone.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367258832
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/20/2020
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stephen Gorard is Professor of Education and Public Policy at Durham University, UK and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations viii

List of contributors x

Preface xv

Part I Introduction to the need for better evidence 1

1 Why we need better use of good evidence in education Stephen Gorard 3

2 The importance of providing evidence in education from rigorous evaluations Carole J. Torgerson David J. Torgerson 10

3 The global evidence architecture in health and education: A comparative scorecard Howard White 20

4 What we know already about the best ways to get evidence into use in education Stephen Gorard Beng Huat See Nadia Siddiqui 34

Part II Experiences of different routes to evidence use 51

5 Hearts and minds: The Research Schools Network: from evidence to engagement Megan Dixon Juliet Brookes James Siddle 53

6 The development and worldwide impact of the Teaching and Learning Toolkit Steve Higgins 69

7 Why is it difficult to get evidence into use? Beng Huat See 84

8 Generating research evidence in teaching practice: Can teachers lead randomised control trials in education? Nadia Siddiqui 100

Part III Experiences of different routes to evidence use 109

9 First two years at school: Evidence-based policy for early childhood education in Brazil Tiago Bartholo Mariane Campelo Koslinski 111

10 Research into practice: The case of classroom formative assessment Dylan Wiliam 119

11 Engagement and impact in addressing and overcoming educational disadvantage Stephen Gorard Lindsey Wardle Nadia Siddiqui Beng Huat See 136

12 The use of evidence from research on contextualised admissions to widen access to Scottish universities Vikki Boliver Stepheti Gorard 166

Part IV The role of leadership in evidence uptake 179

13 Is distributed leadership an effective approach for mobilising research-informed innovation across professional learning networks?: Exploring a case from England Chris Brown Jane Flood Stephen MacGregor Paul Armstrong 181

14 The opportunities and challenges of leaders using evidence in education Rebecca Morris Thomas Perry Simon Asquith 199

Part V Suggestions for next steps in evidence use 217

15 Towards a better understanding of quality of evidence use Mark Rickinson Jonathan Sharples Oliver Lovell 219

16 Where next for improving the use of good evidence: The story of the book so far Stephen Gorard 234

Index 242