This report describes ways that schools can build teachers’ and leaders’ confidence in using research evidence, and why this is important. It presents findings from independent surveys conducted by the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) and the Monash Q Project.

Key findings:

• Many teachers and leaders indicated that their school provides support to use research evidence.
• While teachers and leaders believed in the value of using research evidence, research evidence was not often used to help improve knowledge or practice or to make decisions.
• Teachers and leaders had some concerns about their abilities to assess or analyse research evidence. These confidence gaps represent important opportunities to target improvement initiatives in schools.