Video Transcript
When I work with school leaders on research use, the number one concern I hear is that they don’t have the time to do it all by themselves. Well I’ve got good news for you - you shouldn’t be doing it all by yourself anyway! In this video, I’m going to show you how to select and implement a research team process that drives thoughtful decision making in your school.
HI friends, I’m Matthew Courtney and here we talk all about education research and data, so if you’re into that, make sure you like and subscribe and come be a part of our community.
School’s are fast-paced education environments and it can be challenging to make decisions that truly reflect what’s best for your students, teachers, and community. But what if there was a way to ground your school’s decisions in solid, proven evidence? That’s where a research review team comes in.
A research review team is a group of educators and staff committed to exploring, analyzing, and applying the latest educational research to help your school grow and improve. A well-organized research review team can be a game-changer for your school - helping you improve classroom practices, refinine school-wide policies, and inform professional learning efforts.
When forming your research review team, the first step is choosing the right members. It’s important to select a diverse group of people who bring different perspectives and experiences to the table.
Be sure to include individuals from various roles within your school. Teachers from different grade levels and subject areas, school leaders, support staff, and, in some cases, even students or parents can provide valuable insights. The goal is to gather a group that can view research through multiple lenses.
You’ll also want to select individuals with certain key characteristics. Look for those who are naturally curious, open-minded, and enthusiastic about learning. They don’t have to be research experts, but they should be willing to dive into new ideas and apply them to your school’s context.
There are a few ways to choose team members. You can ask for volunteers, send out interest surveys, or even have formal nominations. The selection process will depend on your school’s culture and needs, but try to ensure that the team isn’t just the same voices you always hear—it should reflect a broad spectrum of experiences and viewpoints. And whatever you do - don’t require people to be on this team if they don’t want to be. It is better to have a small focused team than a larger team filled with folks who are working against the current.
Ultimately, having a balanced team that includes both experienced educators and those newer to the field can help ensure that the group brings fresh ideas while staying grounded in practical realities.
Once your team is in place, the next step is to establish a meeting schedule that keeps everyone engaged and on track without becoming overwhelming.
The success of your research review team depends not just on the discussions during the meeting, but also on the preparation that happens beforehand. To make sure each meeting is productive and purposeful, a few key steps need to happen in advance.
First, it’s crucial to send out any research materials ahead of time—at least a week in advance if possible. This gives team members enough time to read, reflect, and come prepared to discuss. Choose articles or studies that are directly relevant to the school’s current priorities or areas for improvement. This keeps the work focused and meaningful.
Every meeting should have a structured agenda to guide the discussion. Here’s a simple outline you can use:
Review of the research: Start by summarizing the key points from the articles or studies the team reviewed. This allows everyone to be on the same page before diving deeper into the content.
Questioning and discussion: After reviewing, allow time for questions. Encourage team members to critically analyze the research—What makes it strong? Where are the gaps? How does it relate to our specific school environment? This is where the team’s diverse perspectives really come into play.
Application to your school: Next, transition into discussing how the research can be applied. What actionable steps can be taken based on the findings? Whether it’s classroom strategies, professional development ideas, or policy adjustments, this is the time to turn research into real-world solutions.
Next steps: Finally, wrap up the meeting with clear next steps. Assign responsibilities, such as implementing a pilot program, gathering more data, or preparing a research-based presentation for the rest of the staff. Make sure each meeting moves the team closer to action.
By establishing this process and ensuring thorough preparation before meetings, you’re setting your team up for success. The more organized and thoughtful the process, the more impactful the team’s work will be in driving change at your school.
Once you get yourself set up, you should aim to fall into a regular meeting cadence. A good starting point is to meet once a month. This gives the team enough time between meetings to gather insights, review research, and reflect on how it can be applied. Monthly meetings strike the right balance—frequent enough to maintain momentum, but not so frequent that it becomes a burden.
Aim for meetings to last between 60 to 90 minutes. This provides enough time to discuss research in depth without stretching people's schedules too thin. Make sure to create a clear agenda for each meeting so that time is used efficiently.
It's important to keep the work engaging and impactful. We never want to meet just to meet, so here are four activities or areas of focus your team can dive into to ensure you’re making the most of the time together.
One powerful way to engage your team is by designing and conducting small-scale action research projects within your school. These projects allow team members to apply research methods to address specific issues in real-time. For example, you might explore how different instructional strategies impact student engagement or test out new approaches to classroom management. The team can collect data, analyze results, and recommend changes based on what they find.
Another important role for your team is curating relevant research and building a resource library for the rest of the staff. As your team reviews different studies, compile the most useful ones and create a centralized place where other educators can access them. This could be an online repository, a monthly research newsletter, or a short 'best practices' document that summarizes the findings and their practical applications.
Your team can also take on the role of leading professional development in your school. Use the research you’ve gathered to design workshops that help teachers and staff implement evidence-based practices. For example, you might lead a session on improving literacy instruction, integrating technology, or using data to differentiate instruction. By sharing the knowledge, your team becomes a resource for the whole school community.
Finally, your research review team can help evaluate new programs, curricula, or interventions before they’re adopted. By critically analyzing research on different educational tools, your team can provide recommendations on whether these interventions are likely to work in your specific context. This helps ensure that any new initiatives are grounded in evidence, reducing the risk of adopting something that doesn’t align with your school’s needs.
These activities not only provide direction for your team but also ensure that the work you’re doing has a direct, positive impact on your school.
Building a research review team at your school is more than just an academic exercise—it’s a strategic move that can transform how decisions are made and how progress is achieved. By bringing together a diverse group of educators, reviewing research with intention, and focusing on practical applications, you can create real, lasting change for your students and staff.
Remember, it’s not just about reading research—it’s about using that research to solve problems, drive innovation, and improve outcomes. So take the first step today: gather your team, start the conversation, and begin turning evidence into action.
If you found value in this video today, make sure you like and subscribe and check out some of the other videos on my channel before you leave. I’ll see you next time.
Comments