This article presents methods for using extant data to improve the properties of estimators of the standardized mean difference (SMD) effect size. Because samples recruited into education research studies are often more homogeneous than the populations of policy interest, the variation in educational outcomes can be smaller in these samples than…

This article presents methods for using extant data to improve the properties of estimators of the standardized mean difference (SMD) effect size. Because samples recruited into education research studies are often more homogeneous than the populations of policy interest, the variation in educational outcomes can be smaller in these samples than…

Purpose: This article argues that the potential of the vast amount of research, published each year in the history of education, remains untapped. Given the rapidly growing number of academic publications in the field, there is a need for research that is based on articles, chapters and monographs already published. While analyses of existing…

Introduction: The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews rigorous research on educational interventions with a goal of identifying "what works" and making that information accessible to educators and policymakers. The WWC has historically prioritized internal validity over external validity in rating the quality of research. One critique…

Rapid reviews of research are a key way in which policy makers use research. This paper examines 74 rapid reviews commissioned by health policy agencies through the Sax Institute's Evidence Check programme. We examine what prompted policy makers to commission rapid reviews, their purpose, how and when they intended to use them, and how this varied…

For the last few decades, leadership standards have served as a de facto "recommended curriculum" for preparation programs in the United States. In this article, we: (1) share the new National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards, (2) present the literature supporting the standards, and (3) critically assess the influence…

Policy scoping reviews are an effective method for generating evidence-informed policies. However, when applying guiding methodological frameworks to complex policy evidence, numerous, unexpected challenges can emerge. This paper details five challenges experienced and addressed by a policy trainee-led, multi-disciplinary research team, while…

This paper is about the relationship between research, policy and practice in education. It outlines reasons for the increased interest in research and its impact and describe some of the difficulties in studying this relationship. A conceptualization of the knowledge mobilization process is presented that identifies three overlapping and…

The best available evidence is one of the three critical features of evidence-based practice. Best available evidence is often considered to be synonymous with extremely high standards for research methodology. However, this notion may limit the scope and impact of evidence based practice to those educational decisions on which high quality…

Technical terms such as "meta-analysis," research synthesis," and "effect size" may sound alien to practitioners in the field of education. Due to limited knowledge on meta-analysis among educators, the results of meta-analyses seldom translate from research to classroom practice--even though meta-analyses may provide valuable information on how…

Background: Active Support (AS) is an approach for promoting increased engagement in activities by people with intellectual disability (ID). Method: We critically reviewed the available research on AS, and added a commentary to help guide future research and practice. Results: Despite weaknesses in the research design of some studies, there is…

Increasingly, teachers--but also parents and politicians--voice dissatisfaction with the divide they experience between research and practice and the resulting minimal impact of teacher education (Ashton, 1996; Barone, Berliner, Blanchard, Casanova, & McGowan, 1996). The problem seems to be perennial. More than a century ago, John Dewey pointed…

This article explores the applicability of interdisciplinary research on the implementation of technological innovations to the field of e-learning research. Arguing that there are important ways in which e-learning systems can be treated as "technological innovations," this article presents a review of several key theoretical and research design…

The vote-counting method of research integration disregards sample size and important descriptive information. Meta-analysis allows for integration of vast amounts of information, standardizes measuring scales, and overcomes contradictory findings. Two objections to meta-analysis are inclusion of studies of poor quality and the issue of…

Meta-analysis, one strategy nurses can use to influence public policy in health care, can amplify effects too small to observe in single or small studies, bring cost data to the fore, and highlight ramifications of local interest to policy- makers. (SK)