Bloomsbury Evidence Informed Policy and Practice in Education: A Sociological Grounding

Evidence use and user engagement have become part of the rhetoric of education and social science research, with policy makers required to base their recommendations on evidence. This book expands the analysis of policy (educational and others) and considers the wider environment within which policy is made. Chris Brown grounds this analysis within contemporary theory that explains pertinent social phenomenon to show the interplay and tensions between policy and practice and to illustrate how, within each, being evidence-informed results in very different actions and behaviours when it comes to evidence use. This exploration reconciles policy and practice within an overarching framework which attempts to explain what emerges when 'top down' and 'bottom up' evidence production and use collide. The book both challenges and informs: challenging those currently working in the area to begin to think more deeply about their work and the theoretical mechanisms that underpin it, and informing use by providing theoretical tools to assist them in doing so.