Promoting Equity Within Education Systems: Researchers Working With Policy Makers and Practitioners

• In Event: Using and Developing Research-Practice Partnerships in Educational Improvement

Abstract

This paper provides an account of its authors involvement in three national improvement initiatives. Set in the context of three of the countries that make up the United Kingdom, these developments were focused on the promotion of educational equity. Unusually, the analysis provided compares evidence collected from an insider perspective with data generated through independent evaluations. In so doing, it considers how research can contribute to system change. The paper argues that this requires the coming together of different perspectives in a process of social learning and knowledge creation within particular settings. The paper concludes with a strategic framework that can be used to think about how school systems can be helped to make better use of research knowledge.

Authors

• Mel Ainscow, University of Manchester

• Christopher James Chapman, University of Glasgow

• Mark P. Hadfield, Cardiff University