Mediating academic research: the Assessment Reform Group experience

Abstract

The interface between education research and education policy in the UK has been discussed, explored and redefined over nearly two decades since the Education Reform Act of 1988. This contribution analyses how one group of researchers, in the field of assessment, has attempted to exploit the potential for evidence from research to influence education policies in the UK. Using Levin's model of the elements of research impact as a starting point, it reflects upon the Assessment Reform Group's attempts to exploit the potential for academic research to influence policy and practice. It concludes by discussing how the interface between research and policy might be better conceptualized and how seeking to make research both usable and useful has implications for judging the quality of research in education.