This article has three aims: first, it examines the notion of evidence-informed practice and its benefits, as well as recent educational policy designed to promote schools' use of evidence. Second, it examines four distinct but overlapping and interdependent factors that school leaders need to consider if they wish to establish evidence-informed…

The phrase "knowledge adoption" refers to the often-complicated process by which policy makers "take on board" evidence. While models have been put forward to explain this activity, this paper argues that such models are flawed and fail to fully address those complexities affecting the successful realisation of knowledge…

The process of "knowledge adoption" is defined as the means through which policy-makers digest, accept then "take on board" research findings. It is argued in Brown, however, that current models designed to explain knowledge adoption activity fail to fully account for the complexities that affect its operation. Within this…

This article examines how research(ers) can impact upon policy, a pertinent issue in light of England's 2014 Research Excellence Framework. It presents the findings of a literature review and interviews with educational researchers and policymakers in England and Wales. The projects' aims were (i) to understand the actions researchers should…