What Is the Potential for Applying Cost-Utility Analysis to Facilitate Evidence-Based Decision Making in Schools?

• In Event: Educators as Users of Research

Abstract

We investigated the feasibility of applying a decision-making framework based on cost-utility analysis to facilitate evidence-based decisions by educators. Working with 83 aspiring school leaders, we determined whether they could clearly articulate decision-making problems and potential solution options, identify stakeholders to involve in the decision, establish criteria for judging the solution options, and determine methods to collect evidence to evaluate each solution option against the criteria. Our findings indicate that they successfully applied the initial steps of this framework to hypothetical decisions about new school designs. However, many struggled to identify methods for collecting evidence to inform their decisions. The majority of a second cohort of 41 educators reported that the framework will help them in their real-world practice.

Authors

• Fiona M. Hollands, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Yilin Pan, Columbia University