The Center for Research Use in Education is “Rethinking Research for Schools” (R4S). Our mission is to expand the study of research use and produce a clearer picture of what drives it, from the production of knowledge by researchers to the application of research in school-based problem-solving and decision-making processes. We also seek to identify strategies that can make research more meaningful to classroom practice.

To achieve our goal, we’re studying the relationship that currently exists between researchers and school-based practitioners—principals, assistant principals, interventionists, and teachers alike. We also seek to understand schools’ use of research as situated in and influenced by the district context and by district staff.

This Center will engage in a two-pronged research program to:

• Understand the nature and depth of research use in schools;
• Identify the factors in both the research and school communities that hinder or facilitate research use; and
• Develop strategies to make more meaningful connectionsbetween research-based evidence and classroom practice.