This article provides clear and practical guidelines for researchers seeking to use national secondary datasets to conduct evidence-based research. Drawing from our own experiences, we discuss a six-step research process model (Bryan et al., 2010, 2017) to help researchers navigate the use of these datasets. We present examples from the school…

A recent issue of the Australian Journal of Language and Literacy included an article reporting on a systematic narrative review of the research literature that indicated that there was insufficient evidence to conclude whether genre theory and systemic functional linguistics either 'worked' or 'did not work'. The criteria used to evaluate these…

In Ireland, as elsewhere, there has been growing recognition around the importance of using research evidence to inform educational policy and practice at both a national government and individual school level. Despite such importance, there is currently a dearth of empirical, peer-reviewed studies regarding the use of research evidence in the…

Background: Data-based decision-making in education often focuses on the use of summative assessment data in order to bring about improvements in student achievement. However, many other sources of evidence are available across a wide range of indicators. There is potential for school leaders, teachers and students to use these diverse sources…

This literature review outlines the evidence that underpins the development of a set of evidence-informed elaborations, or specific practices, that support student engagement and wellbeing across the 9 domains of the National School Improvement Tool (NSIT). These observable, measurable practices to support student engagement and wellbeing have…

The education landscape in the United States has been changing rapidly in recent decades: student populations have become more diverse; there has been an explosion of data sources; there is an intensified focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; educators and policy makers at all levels want more and better data for evidence-based…

Continuous improvement methods, widely used in fields such as medicine, can help educators identify and try out adjustments in practice, known as "change ideas," which contribute to better outcomes and more equitable systems for students. Since 2018, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in 24 organizations across the…

The increasing datafication of teachers' work and schooling practices as evidenced through various metrics of student testing and school improvement measures have continued to grow unabated across many OECD Countries. Such practices have been fuelled by global competition for league tables such as the Programme for International Student Assessment…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how experienced elementary educators in Central Montana described their use of new knowledge from research evidence to inform their teaching practice. Data sources included 15 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups. The Cognitive Affective Model of Conceptual Change was…

Evidence-based assessment (EBA) requires that investigators employ scientific theories and research findings to guide decisions about what domains to measure, how and when to measure them, and how to make decisions and interpret results. To implement EBA, investigators need high-quality assessment tools along with evidence-based processes. We…

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is the national voice for academic and professional staff. CAUT represents more than 72,000 teachers, librarians, researchers, general staff, and other academic professionals at 125 post-secondary institutions across the country. CAUT works actively in the public interest to improve the…

The Evidence to Action project (2019-2021), led by MDRC and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and supported by Arnold Ventures, initiated a body of work designed to disentangle the barriers that exist between research and state-level higher education policy and partnered with state higher education agencies to…

This national snapshot presents findings on the current use of evidence by teachers and leaders in Australian schools. The authors examine attitudes towards and use of various types of evidence, and challenges and enablers in using evidence. In examining the use of evidence, they distinguish between: (1) research evidence: academic research, such…

Americans share an expectation that government will serve the common good, creating inescapable pressure for public agencies--especially those that serve young children--to perform well. Yet education and human services agencies continually struggle to respond to the complex conditions in which children are born. How can they address the practical…

Written by two leading experts in education research and policy, "Common-Sense Evidence" is a concise, accessible guide that helps education leaders find and interpret data and research, and then put that knowledge into action. In the book, Nora Gordon and Carrie Conaway empower educators to address the federal Every Student Succeeds Act…