ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the use of evidence to improve education for its participants, including improvement sought via changes in education policy and the development of more effective educational practices. It shows how robust evaluations of the kind now being sought by some governments and practitioner bodies fit into a larger cycle of research. The book also discusses some of the main problems in current evidence-based education (EBE) work. It describes new evidence from researchers own evaluations in three different areas – bespoke interventions for low attainers, whole school approaches to improvement, and the wider outcomes of schooling such as character formation. The book summarises what has been learnt from these, specifically in terms of recommendations for the wider public, practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers themselves.
