Connecting Research and Practice for Educational Improvement presents powerful arguments and richly illustrated cases for how more collaborative relationships between researchers and educators can yield more relevant research that impacts practice. This book can be useful for anyone teaching or learning about research–practice partnerships, in both school and out-of-school settings. The chapters highlight the different dispositions and skills needed to cultivate ethical relationships and promote equity through partnerships and provide rich frameworks for guiding future work.

This ground-breaking book comprehensively addresses an area of major and sustained concern: how to improve the use of research evidence and enhance educators’ research engagement as a route to the improvement of educational practice. It focuses on the topic of knowledge brokering and mobilization in education, and its role in fostering evidence-informed practice. Divided into three sections, each addressing a different role of knowledge mobilizers, the book is based in clear evidentiary grounding. The chapters: Explore payoffs and challenges of connecting research to practice Provide recommendations in relation to practice and decision-making Present organized and professionally-enhancing tools, strategies and insights Written by internationally-recognized leaders and expert contributors, The Role of Knowledge Brokers in Education brings together extensive and global perspectives in an accessible yet comprehensive volume. This book is an invaluable resource for educational leaders worldwide who are interested in using or generating research for school improvement, as well as researchers, academics, and students in schools of education.

This is a guide for researchers and district leaders to help them form and sustain long-terms partnerships to study and solve practical problems in education together.--

Critics within and outside the field of education often point out the absence of a strong reciprocal connection between research and practice. The emergence of standards-based reform and the passage of NCLB have generated increasing pressure for evidence-based decision making at all levels. Yet there is little clarity about how research results are actually used in education, or what kinds of evidence are most useful to practitioners and policymakers. In this book, leading scholars in the field examine the culture, incentives, and opportunities that shape the decision-making practices of educational professionals (teachers, administrators, and policymakers) as well as individuals, intermediary organizations, and private sector groups who engage in and disseminate research. The authors explore the multiple ways in which research--or the lack of it--influences the quality of instruction, both directly and indirectly. They identify strategies for making researching and development a more vital and relevant part of educational decision making and provide suggestions for strengthening the research-to-practice pipeline. Part description and part prescription, the book maps out avenues for important changes in education research, policy, and practice. "With all the fuss about evidence-based decision making, The Role of Research in Educational Improvement makes a stellar contribution. The chapters cover the full range of issues from federal, state, district, and school levels. In each case instruction is the focus. This invaluable resource, at once comprehensive and focused, unravels the mystery of research and makes it accessible. A great read whether you are in the schoolhouse or the statehouse." -- Michael Fullan, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto "Turn a gaggle of scholars loose on a vital subject--the relation of education research to education practice--and if you are lucky, you get a collection like this. It draws on the authors' long experience and reams of research to provide lessons worth pondering by everybody from the Congress to the classroom." -- Carol Hirschon Weiss, Beatrice B. Whiting Professor, Emerita, Harvard Graduate School of Education "An excellent and important contribution to our knowledge of how teachers, school leaders, and policymakers use evidence-based practices to improve teaching and learning in schools. The authors highlight the challenges, obstacles, and benefits of using research evidence to improve schooling." -- Lance D. Fusarelli, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, North Carolina State University Edited by John D. Bransford, Deborah J. Stipek, Nancy J. Vye, Louis M. Gomez, and Diana Lam

Expand your understanding of educational research with this practice-first introduction. Written specifically for education practitioners, An Introduction to Educational Research: Connecting Methods to Practice approaches research methods from a practice-first perspective that aligns research with professional experiences and identifies the tools and resources readers can use when conducting their own research. Throughout the book, the authors illuminate complex research concepts using problems of practice confronting educators to help readers make meaningful connections with key concepts and research practices. The authors present balanced coverage across research methodologies that is linked to practice, so readers clearly see research as a tool they can use to improve classrooms, schools, districts, and educational organizations.

The Foundational Handbook on Improvement Research in Education is a pathbreaking effort to build a field of research committed to producing the practical knowledge needed to advance educational access, quality, and equity. This is research distinguished by the use of inclusive, iterative approaches to analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation to understand and address educational opportunities, needs, and problems grounded deeply in school and community contexts. Designed for researchers, students, and educators, the handbook elaborates the intellectual foundations, explores the organizational and policy contexts, reviews approaches, and examines methods of improvement research. It features contributions from a plural community of researchers with expertise in the learning sciences, instructional improvement, organizational and policy studies, and research methodologies, many with extensive experience collaborating with teachers, leadership, families, and advocates in local problem solving and design.

General ideas are discussed relating to the use and sustainability of evidence-based practices benefiting professionals involved in school improvement. In addition, suggestions for future research are provided.