State Education Agency Searches for and Uses of Research Evidence

• In Event: Roundtable Session 85
  In Roundtable Session: Bridging the Gap: Intermediary Roles Brokering Research Use in Education

Abstract

Current studies offer little information about how state departments of education (SEAs) search for and use research knowledge or evidence in designing school improvement strategies. This paper uses survey and interview data collected from three SEAs, document analysis, and social network analysis to understand the factors affecting how SEAs search for and use research evidence; including political and contextual factors, organizational structures, communication networks, and the supply, source, and qualities of available research evidence. Several factors were found to affect SEAs’ search for and use of research evidence, including levels of trust and efficacy within networks, the extent to which external intermediaries were available to assist SEAs, and whether research offered concrete steps for incorporating findings into policy.

Authors

• Ryan Fink, University of Pennsylvania

• Elliot H. Weinbaum, U.S. Department of Education