The Acquisition, Evaluation, and Use of Research Evidence by Public School Administrators

• In Event: 46.086 - Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 46.086-17 - Research Use and Stakeholder Engagement: Issues and Opportunities for Teacher and Administrator Use of Research

Abstract

Using semi-structured interviews, this study examines how school administrators’ acquire and use research evidence to inform decisions about instructional, health, and social skills programs. School administrators seek information from both internal (e.g. district data collection) and external sources (e.g., researchers). We use transaction cost economics theory to explore how district size, composition, and performance influence whether school administrators tend to rely on internal versus external information sources. Additionally, more than one third of the mentions of information sources focused on variety of different formal (e.g., professional associations) and informal (e.g., friends) intermediaries. These results suggest the potential of facilitating the adoption of evidence-based programs in public schools by developing interventions that capitalize on school administrators’ existing information channels.

Authors

• Jennifer Watling Neal, Michigan State University

• Zachary P. Neal, Michigan State University

• Mariah Kornbluh, Michigan State University