Replication studies in education are relatively rare. Of the few which are conducted, many are conceptual rather than direct replications. With so few replication studies, and many of those that are attempted producing null results, the scientific status of the evidence base for educational policy and practice is in question. Replicating Makel and…

In the context of heightened policy expectations for research use, there is a need to better understand how schools enact these expectations. However, normative models for research use do not fit with longstanding empirical evidence about research use. This a) means that schools are likely to implement evidence use expectations in diverse ways…

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are important techniques because they synthesize results from multiple primary studies on a similar topic. To influence policy, practice, and research, however, synthesis researchers must translate the results for various audiences. Ideally, the translation drives future research agendas, informs policymaking,…

Ann Oakley, pioneering social researcher for nearly 60 years, is Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at IOE (Institute of Education), UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (University College London, UK). This article explores the innovation and influence of her work and the work of her close colleagues at the Social Science Research Unit…

Background: The literature on evidence-based policy in education offers insight into the need to form partnerships between researchers and practitioners with particular attention to the role of "intermediaries." However, the operationalisation of the partnership, especially in school violence prevention, the focal policy of this…

Evidence-based education aims to support policy makers choosing between potential interventions. This rarely involves considering each in isolation; instead, sets of evidence regarding many potential policy interventions are considered. Filtering a set on any quantity measured with error risks the "winner's curse": conditional on…

When evidence enters humanities and society, with its scientific and effective characteristics, it gradually becomes a new paradigm for educational research and practice. It is becoming popular worldwide (Slavin, 2020). At present, all over the world, evidence-oriented evidence-based research has become one of the critical analysis methods in the…

This paper seeks to raise awareness among educational researchers and practitioners of some significant weaknesses and internal contradictions of randomised control trials (RCTs). Although critiques throughout the years from education scholars have pointed to the detrimental effects of this experimental approach on education practice and values,…

Purpose: The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) requires districts to deliver "evidence-based interventions" to students impacted by the pandemic. The policy has created a unique opportunity for researchers and practitioners to engage with evidence to learn how recovery interventions work and under what conditions.…

The education field, these authors assert, often alternatively ignores, belittles, or "weaponizes" scientific findings and evidence relevant to education. They show examples of how education does a worse job than other fields at either rushing to apply approaches without enough evidence of effectiveness or…

In this commentary on John Raven's "Diving in Where Angels Fear to Tread: Pre-Requisites to Evidence-Based Interventions," Tommy MacKay discusses three examples that illustrate Raven's tendency to overstate or at least to over-simplify the issues raised in his paper and to present various views, approaches, or interventions as being…

Performance measurement and research are key components of the operations of philanthropic organizations (both grant-making [GM] and grant-seeking [GS] organizations)--particularly those in the higher education subsector. Both conventionally and historically, performance measurement and research practices have been portrayed as rational tools that…

In the Spring of 2019, the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University launched the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN) with funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. This overview provides a step-by- step description of NCRERN's continuous improvement model. NCRERN's…

Considers multidisciplinary perspectives as a lens through which to view gifted education research. In the spirit of scholars who have also sought to ask field strengthening questions to help improve scientific advance, we address four questions and encourage other scholars from all disciplines to ask their own questions: (1) What if the field is…

Analyzing education through the lens of implementation science illustrates its potential for addressing fundamental challenges in education (Century & Cassata, 2016). Learning emerges from rapidly-changing experiences and high-intensity social interactions, which requires instruction to continually adapt. These adaptations vary in content and…