EEF launches £1.5 million fund to improve use of research in schools
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) today welcomed an announcement from Rt Hon David Laws, Minister of State for Schools, that the Government will allocate £1 million to improve the link between research and practice in English primary and secondary schools.
The London Schools Excellence Fund is providing a further £300,000 grant to the fund and the EEF will cover evaluation costs estimated at £200,000.
The money will fund a series of pilot projects which will test out the most effective ways of translating research findings into changes in the classroom. Millions of pounds are spent in the UK each year researching teaching and learning, and investigating how to improve outcomes for young people.
However, although polling suggests that a growing number of school leaders say that they consult research, current evidence suggests that the impact of this evidence on practice is often limited.
The Government wants teachers to be able to use research to inform their practice and raise standards in schools, believing that the use of robust evidence will help improve the quality of teaching and support a school-led system.
Minister of State for Schools David Laws said: “It is absolutely vital that teachers are supported with the latest research into what works in the classroom. I am delighted to announce this substantial investment which will help ensure that research impacts on the frontline as effectively as possible – and will ultimately improve outcomes for children.”
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation and the Sutton Trust, said: “Internationally, the top performing systems apply the results of research to drive up teaching quality and outcomes. We’re delighted to receive this new funding, which will be used to evaluate the best ways to translate research findings into better outcomes in this country.”
Dr Kevan Collins, Chief Executive of the EEF, said: “We know that it can take decades before new research has an impact on outcomes in the classroom. This funding round is about ensuring that high-quality research gets into the hands of teachers, to inform their practice and support their decision making.”
Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture, Munira Mirza said: “Through the London Schools Excellence Fund we are supporting schools to drive up teaching standards in a wide range of circumstances across the capital. We are encouraging them to share knowledge and expertise with their peers, and developing a solid evidence base will be crucial to help take this important work forward.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Applications for funding will open on Monday 20th January 2014 and close on Friday 28th February 2014. To find out more please click here.
2.The Education Endowment Foundation is a charity set up in 2011 by the Sutton Trust as the lead foundation in partnership with Impetus Trust, with a Department for Education grant of £135m. It is dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement. Since its launch the EEF has awarded £35.9 million to 68 projects working with over 440,000 pupils in over 2,200 schools across England.
3.The full list of projects funded by EEF can be viewed here.
4. A poll by the National Foundation for Education Research for the Sutton Trust in 2013 found that 67 per cent of school leaders – up from 52 per cent in 2012 – said their school consults research in deciding their pupil premium priorities. Two fifths (43 per cent) of school leaders whose schools consider research evidence use the Sutton Trust/EEF Toolkit. However, less than five per cent say that they use the strategies shown by research to be most effective.
5.The London Schools Excellence Fund (LSEF), which is part-funded by the Department for Education, was established by the Mayor as part of a wider mission to ensure young Londoners have access to the highest quality education. It aims to aims to improve teaching in schools across the capital, in order to improve pupils’ attainment in core subjects – literacy, numeracy, STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and languages. It uses evidence-based, school-to-school and peer-led activities, for example sharing ideas and approaches to teaching, planning lessons and interventions together, observing classroom teaching, working with outside subject specialists and regularly updating professional knowledge. For more information click here.