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Evidence-based education: is it really that straightforward? By Marc Smith Published on The Guardian, in March, 26 Does the future of education belong to the research practitioner? It's certainly an enticing thought and one that has perhaps been brought one step closer by Ben Goldacre's recent paper "Building Evidence into Education", discussed on Guardian Education in the piece "Teachers need to drive the research agenda." Goldacre has suggested that education should embrace the randomized controlled trial (RCT), favoured by the medical profession, in order to create an education system that is truly evidence-based. Evidence-based interventions in teaching could then replace the current system where untested methods are passed to teachers through a variety of often dubious outlets. There is certainly a great deal to applaud here, including Goldacre's insistence that teachers would form the bedrock of such trials, backed up by a variety of individuals and institutions that could advise on everything from research methods to data analysis. However, we are not simply discussing a change in the way teachers do their job, we are also advocating an entire change in the culture of education and in the role of educators. […]
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