The case for an Education Policy Knowledge Centre by Sam Freedman

In this short document, Sam Freedman covers the problems inherent to education policy making, and the obstacles that arise from a system impacted heavily by political demands.

The evidence base available is growing, albeit still highly contested, when it comes to pedagogy and the most effective ways to support pupils. Our goal is to establish an Education Policy Knowledge Centre (EPKC) that would act as a source of information for anyone interested in policy-making and to consider the big questions such as:

• What are the most effective types of national assessment or curriculum?
• Do governance structures, and the role of local government, make any difference to attainment?
• What national level approaches to teacher development work best?