Getting Evidence into Education

Book excerpt: 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.