SecEd Podcast The SecEd Podcast: Research-informed schools (and teaching)
Jan 22, 2025
Sean Harris, a doctoral researcher focused on educational inequality, Andrew Jones, an assistant head teacher exploring novice teachers' perspectives, and Stacey Jordan, a leadership coach and former head teacher, discuss research-informed schools. They debate the types of research schools should engage with and emphasize the importance of balancing external studies with local evidence. Practical strategies for teachers to connect with research, the significance of qualitative insights, and professional development pathways are highlighted, alongside advice for fostering research curiosity within school improvement.
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Vet Research With The EEF 'CLAIMS' Check
- Use the EEF 'CLAIMS' checklist to judge research before adopting it in school practice.
- Check conclusions, limitations, applicability, independence, methods and sample before trusting a study.
Begin With A Precise Research Question
- Start research by clarifying your school's curiosity: what specific problem do you want to solve?
- Targeted curiosity narrows the massive research landscape and focuses useful external and grey literature.
Curate Grey Literature And Set Alerts
- Use grey literature (Sutton Trust, Joseph Rowntree, Chartered College) and open-access alerts (Google Scholar) to find relevant local and policy-focused research.
- Curate a small number of papers regularly and apply CLAIMS scrutiny rather than trying to read everything.
