Research School Network: Research Schools: From Evidence to Practice

As part of the Research Schools Network, Bradford Research School will work with local schools to support them to make better use of evidence to inform their teaching and learning. It’s an important role because there is an increasing amount of evidence available to schools but it isn’t always presented in a way that makes it easy for busy classroom teachers and school leaders to implement findings. It’s important for us as a Research School to help to solve some of the problems that inevitably arise when we try to be evidence informed.

One such barrier to using evidence is that research doesn’t always have a clear practical application in the classroom. With every new finding, teachers have to consider how it might work for them – and the answer isn’t always forthcoming. One way that the EEF has already started to address the problem of practical application is by creating guidance reports and it is part of the Bradford Research School’s role to ensure that work such as this finds its way into schools in the network. But the reports are only a start and our program of CPD will help to ensure that these findings are made concrete. The great thing about the potential network of 238 schools in Bradford is that there is already much evidence based practice and a city full of countless concrete examples of particular approaches taking place that can be used as case studies.

We shouldn’t expect teachers to sift for hours through the extensive evidence base available but research is nuanced, and in seeking simple clarity, and information which is presented in a clear way, some of this nuance can be lost. For example, many teachers’ first experience of research was John Hattie’s Visible Learning, which seemed to indicate that homework had a moderate impact at best. However, on closer inspection, there is evidence that suggests homework at Secondary has significantly more impact than at Primary, proving that the detail can be lost without close scrutiny.

In the image above, taken from the EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit, we see an effect size of +8 months for feedback, but look closely into the summary and we find that ​“some studies show that feedback can have negative effects and make things worse”. Without a fuller understanding of the finer points of these research summaries, decisions can be made which are seemingly evidence-informed yet ultimately ineffective and even harmful. Schools can justify scrapping homework or increasing marking based on what seems to be clear evidence.

Research schools such as ours can help to ensure the detail is understood through communication and training. Not only can Research Schools look closely at the detail and present this to schools in their network but they can provide the tools to ensure others can do this too. It’s this sustainable model which should ensure that Research Schools such as ours have a long lasting legacy.

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