Is our education system actually backed by research?

I'm Matthew Courtney,  a dedicated advocate for bridging the gap between academic research and classroom practice. My recent TEDx talk, "Is our education system really backed by research?," delves into the critical need for evidence-based education and the role each one of us plays in this transformative process.

 

As educators, researchers, policy-makers, and passionate lifelong learners, we stand at the forefront of an educational revolution. This platform is more than just a space to watch a talk; it's a community for thought leaders, educators, and change-makers who believe in the power of research to reshape our educational landscape.

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Below you will find a selection of references for each of the claims made in the talk.

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Claim: The D.A.R.E. program was wildly popular and cost $1 billion per year until researchers in the 1990s determined that the program made no impact on a student's chances of becoming a substance user.

• The History of D.A.R.E.

• The Economic Costs of D.A.R.E.

• Assessing the Effects of School-Based Drug Education: A Six-Year Multilevel Analysis of Project D.A.R.E.

• Project D.A.R.E. Outcome Effectiveness Revisited

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Claim: The fields of education research and education practice evolved as two distinct areas leading to the persistent gaps that exist today.

• The Normal School Curriculum

• Contested Terrain: A History of Education Research in the United States, 1890-1990

• History and Evolution of Public Education in the US

• The gap between educational research and practice: A literature review, symposium, and questionnaire

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Claim: Barriers exist that make it difficult for practicing educators to utilize research.

• The Use of Research to Improve Professional Practice: a systematic review of the literature

• Research utilisation and the struggle for the teacher’s soul: a narrative review

• Research and evidence‐informed practice: focusing on practice and practitioners

• Barriers and conditions for teachers’ utilisation of academic knowledge

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Claim: Barriers exist that make the production of education research difficult.

• Null Effects and Publication Bias in Special Education Research

• Outcome-Reporting Bias in Education Research

• Educational research – public responsibility, private funding?

• Qualitative Research in Education: The Origins, Debates, and Politics of Creating Knowledge

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Claim: The medical profession underwent a 100 year transformation to become an evidence-based field.

• History of evidence-based medicine

• A Brief History of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and the Contributions of Dr David Sackett

• Comprehensive history of 3-year and accelerated US medical school programs: a century in review

• The Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association

• The evolution of medicine as a profession. A 75-year perspective

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