Conceptions of Evidence Use in School Districts: Mapping the Terrain

Current policies place unprecedented demands on districts to use evidence to guide their educational improvement efforts. How districts respond is likely to be influenced by how individuals in the district conceptualize what it means to use evidence in their ongoing work. This study draws on sensema...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of education 2006-08, Vol.112 (4), p.469-495
Main Authors: Coburn, Cynthia E., Talbert, Joan E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitude Measures
Compliance (Psychology)
Education policy
Education reform
Educational administration
Educational Improvement
Educational Indicators
Educational Policy
Educational reform
Individual Differences
Inferences
Learning
No Child Left Behind Act
Organizational Climate
Organizational Development
Organizational Theories
Outcomes of education
Psychometrics
Research Utilization
School districts
School principals
Special education
Teacher administrator relationships
Teachers
Topology
Urban areas
Urban Schools
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Summary:Current policies place unprecedented demands on districts to use evidence to guide their educational improvement efforts. How districts respond is likely to be influenced by how individuals in the district conceptualize what it means to use evidence in their ongoing work. This study draws on sensemaking and institutional theory to investigate how individuals in one urban school district conceive of evidence‐based practice. The study develops grounded typologies that describe the ways that individuals conceptualize high‐quality evidence, appropriate evidence use, and high‐quality research. It then explains variation in conceptions, pointing to the ways organizational responsibilities and reform history shape how individuals come to understand evidence‐based practice. The article closes by suggesting implications for district response to federal policy demands for evidence‐based practice.
ISSN:0195-6744
1549-6511
DOI:10.1086/505056