Evidence for Learning: About Guidance Reports

About Guidance Reports

Clear and actionable recommendations for leaders and teachers on high-priority topics, based on best available evidence.

A series of guidance reports to support all students, but particularly those from backgrounds surrounded by disadvantage.

Guidance reports have been developed as a useful starting point into specific topics. They are intended to support practitioners in putting research evidence to work in their setting.

Our UK partner, the Education Endowment Foundation reviewed the best available international research and consulted experts, teachers, and academics to produce the guidance reports. The Evidence for Learning team have added to this by consulting with Australian experts and adding illustrations of great practice from Australian schools.

How do you use the guidance reports?

The guidance reports can be used to inform teachers classroom practice and assist leaders with planning for change that leads to school improvement.

Who are the guidance reports for?

The audience for each guidance report varies according to the content area. For example, the guidance report ​‘Putting evidence to work: a school’s guide to implementation is aimed primarily at school leaders and other staff with responsibilities for managing change within a school. 

The guides are organised around actionable recommendations, including an easy summary of the recommendations in the report. Some also contain a glossary of terms to help with understanding key education terminology.

How are the guides compiled?

Each guide draws on and interprets the research and evidence available on each topic at the time of its publication. As such, the guides are not new studies in themselves, but rather a translation of existing research into accessible and actionable guidance for schools.

We have taken a pragmatic approach, with not every issue and factor relevant to the topic covered in detail. The evidence base in education is always evolving, as such, the guides should be treated as a snapshot of promising evidence and an introduction to the rapidly developing field it discusses.