This report investigated issues influencing the effective use of evidence in education policy development through a desktop review and interviews with senior policymakers. To make evidence more effective, researchers may need a better understanding of the policy process or may need an intermediary disseminator of knowledge who can hold a strong relationship with policymakers over time. 

Policymakers want to use evidence in their decision-making, and the literature points in the direction of improved evidence use over time. But there are a range of factors influencing decision-making and how policymakers sort through information and advice. It can be difficult to find the most reliable, most objective, most relevant evidence available and make the most out of it within practical constraints. 

Research highlights that a range of factors influence policy development but is less useful for providing a clear pathway to improve how evidence is used in policymaking. There is general discussion about the rigour of evidence – that there should be greater emphasis on, for example, randomised control trials – but the literature doesn’t indicate that this is of prime importance to policymakers.