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 more holistic picture of what drives it, from the production of knowledge by researchers to the application of research in schools. We also seek to identify strategies that can make research more meaningful to classroom practice.  

Why Research Use?

At our center, we believe that education research is an important part of the educational process. We further believe that rigorous evidence, whether qualitative or quantitative, can foster better opportunities and outcomes for children by empowering educators, families, and communities with additional knowledge to inform better decision-making. For this reason, we seek to support strong ties between research and practice.   

Use of Research Evidence

Increase the Impact of Your Research:

Strategies for Knowledge Mobilization

for Education Researchers

CRUE has collaborated with the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) to host  Increase the Impact of Your Research, four virtual webinars for education researchers. The sessions will include:
  • Evidence about Evidence Use: New Findings from a National Survey of Teachers and Administrators which will highlight the barriers and facilitators to successful use of research evidence by educators.  CRUE researchers Henry May, Elizabeth Farley-Ripple, Samantha Shewchuk, and Kati Tilley present findings from surveying over 4000 educators nationwide on their use of research in decision-making.
  • What is Knowledge Mobilization and What Does It Look Like? provides examples of tools and resources to support researchers in developing knowledge mobilizations strategies. Dr. Samantha Shewchuk and other acclaimed researchers share their knowledge mobilization strategies to increase the impact of their research.
  • Actionability and Compatibility: Meeting the Research Needs of Educators focuses on better understanding educator perspectives on education research.  Hear from a panel of educators about their research use practices and their perspectives on how researchers can produce and communicate research that better meets their needs. 
  • Leveraging the Intermediary Space: Connecting with Influential Organizations to Expand your Reach introduces representatives from key intermediary organizations to share their work linking research and practice and their need to collaborate with researchers. 
For more information about these sessions and to view these videos, please visit here

Research for Practice:

Virtual Workshop Series for Educators

This FREE professional development series builds knowledge and skills for using research by focusing on practical and useful strategies in seven 1-hour workshops and asynchronous activities, and a course site full of tools and resources.
The series is designed for principals, assistant principals, teachers, instructional coaches, curriculum directors, district research leaders, assistant superintendents, and professional development coaches.
The webinar series features the following sessions:
  • What is Research and Why Should I Be Using It?  with Dr. Elizabeth Farley-Ripple and Dr. Samantha Shewchuk
  • Evaluating Research: A Cost-Utility Framework?  with Dr. Fiona Hollands, who discusses how to use the DecisionMaker®, an online tool to help educators make evidence-based decisions.
  • Using Research-Informed Theories of Change in PLCs  with Dr. Chris Brown and Jane Flood
  • Finding and Accessing Useful Research  with Erin Pollard of What Works Clearinghouse, Laura Mikowychok of Pennsylvania Evidence Resource Center, and  Medha Tare and Jessica Jackson of Digital Promise
  • What is an RPP and How Do I Get One?  with Dan Gallagher discussing ways that schools and researchers can collaborate
  • Using the Marshall Memo in Teams  with Kim Marshall, author of the Marshall Memo
  • Taking Action as an Evidence-Informed Educator  with Dr. Elizabeth Farley-Ripple and Dr. Samantha Shewchuk

To access the materials from this series or for more information, contact us at crue-info@udel.edu.

Access to

Survey of Evidence in Education

If you would like to see the Survey of Evidence in Education for Schools and/or the Survey of Evidence in Education for Researchers, please make a request by emailing crue-info@udel.edu.