Research is the key to raising standards in education, according to experts from the University of Cambridge who are hosting a global conference to look at the benefits of evidence-based decision making. George Heritage from Cambridge Assessment English, a department of the University of Cambridge explains ‘Educational research is often seen as separate from policy making and classroom practice, but case studies around the world show well-designed research can lead to dramatic improvements in outcomes at national and local levels, with lifelong benefits for learners.
‘We’ve brought together specialists from Cambridge, from education ministries and universities around the world as well as the OECD and European Commission. We’re focusing particularly on the evidence from research on language teaching, learning and assessment, where the long term application of CEFR – a global framework for language competence – provides the focus for inspiring examples of projects where research has been used to answer to make changes in an educational programme. We hope that the examples will encourage others to apply similar approaches and thus increase the extent of evidence-based decision-making in education.”
The conference is the latest in an annual series organised by Cambridge Assessment English’s team in Spain, which is now being made available globally for anyone interested in educational strategy, planning and research. In an unprecedented move, the conference will run as a single 19-hour session, allowing audiences around the world to join sessions at a convenient time, with presenters joining live from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.
The conference is organised by Cambridge Assessment English, with support from Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Education International Education. These three departments of the University of Cambridge share a commitment to high-quality educational research which drives best practice in teaching, learning and assessment worldwide, contributing to the University’s mission to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.
Cambridge Assessment English has the largest dedicated research team of its kind in Europe and a track record of more than 30 years in research-based programmes which have made a major contribution to language education worldwide. The team has been closely involved with the development of the Common European Framework of Assessment since it was first conceived and has delivered many other programmes, including the ground-breaking European Survey of Language Competences. Most recently, Cambridge Assessment English has begun a partnership with the OECD to develop tests for the forthcoming PISA Foreign Language Assessment, and colleagues from the OECD will join the conference to introduce this important new development.
To register for the event, please visit visit https://share.hsforms.com/1JaKG81b-RpSAVA-ajziKoA3iz8b
Research into practice: evidence-based decision-making in international education
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