How can research inform ideas of good practice in teaching? The contributions of some official initiatives in the UK

There is evidence of progress over the last decade in the quest for research to inform ideas of good practice in teaching. This function of research had achieved increased status and funding, and attention has focused on issues such as how teachers learn and evidence‐based practice. This has been supported by several ‘official’ initiatives, three of which are given special attention in this paper. Teacher/researcher networking has contributed to greater involvement of teachers in research and discredited simple‐minded ideas of ‘delivery’ models of evidence to be embedded in practice. However, placing research entirely in teachers' hands has revealed concerns about research quality. Different forms of collaborative relationships between researchers and teachers, and among projects within a programme, have increased understanding of the conditions under which research can impact on practice. What and how to disseminate evidence to wider audiences remains a challenge.