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· to work collaboratively with peers and experts to co-construct new knowl-
edge as changing circumstances require
· to be engaged in collaborative research projects which produce outcomes
substantial enough to warrant changes in practice.
The argument is made that the provision of a national online community net-
work linking academics, teachers and researchers can support low-cost yet effective
ways of building and sharing knowledge about effective educational practice. This
chapter outlines specific examples for improving e-communications for school-based
educational research. The core challenges about developing appropriate e-connectiv-
ity and new ways of working, fit for a twenty-first-century context need to focus on:
1.
The importance of knowledge management and evidence-based practice in
the context of international competition and drives for improvement at the
national level
2.
Improving the quality of research - challenges and roles including levers for
change
3.
How twenty-irst-century technologies might be harnessed to improve the
quality, relevance and timeliness of educational research
4.
Knowledge Management tools utilizing Web 2.0 technologies need to be
developed, but knowledge management is not widely understood in the
education sector.
Theory and research base
The importance of knowledge management and evidence-based practice
International comparative studies of learner outcomes from school-based education
systems such as PIRLS, TIMMS and PISA show the relative positions of different coun-
tries on a range of measures and spur countries to invest to improve the quality of the
education system (OECD 2003, 2009, 2007b,c; http://timss.bc.edu/; www.pisa.oecd.
org). However, improving education systems is an elusive goal with teacher quality
being identified as more important than financial investment in raising attainment
levels (OECD 2009; McKinsey 2007). One aspect of the goal of improving teacher qual-
ity is improving the research and evidence base underpinning practice (OECD 2003).
Improving the quality of teaching is stated as a high priority in the documen-
tation from different countries (see for example the Australian government DEST
2005, DEEW 2007, 2010; Indian government NCTE 2010a, b; China Education and
Research Network 2000; Ming-yuan 2006; OECD 2003, 2007a, b; UNESCO 2010 a,b.;
US Department of Education 2006; UK DCSF 2006; Proton Europe 2007; Cochran-
Smith and Zeichner 2005). Examples of statements made in this respect are as follows:
Teacher status and education are considered fundamental for the improvement
of educational quality. This is the commitment of UNESCO State Members . . . .
(UNESCO 2010a: 1)
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