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The growing (but still limited) importance of evidence in education policy and practice

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Abstract

The last decade of education change has been characterized by the rise of evidence-based policy and practice agendas. Internationally, we are witnessing efforts to increase and incorporate research use in public services. This article examines efforts in education to address the research–practice gap through an emerging field we term knowledge mobilization (KM). We explore some of the controversy surrounding the use of ‘evidence’, outline national and international KM initiatives and consider some of the issues and challenges that arise from the increased interest in evidence and research use in education. We also assess the current state and desirable future directions of efforts to strengthen the role of research and evidence in education.

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Notes

  1. We will utilize EBDM, Evidence-based policy and Evidence-based practice interchangeably for the rest of this paper.

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Correspondence to Amanda Cooper.

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Cooper, A., Levin, B. & Campbell, C. The growing (but still limited) importance of evidence in education policy and practice. J Educ Change 10, 159–171 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-009-9107-0

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