Research on Educational Innovations

For more than 25 years, Research on Educational Innovations has helped readers distinguish between truly innovative educational programs backed by credible research evidence and the faddish policy trends of the day. Innovation should be a facet of school life, but improvement should be a continuous process grounded in sound evaluation, not a cycle of fashionable reforms.

Using current and emerging topics as practical case studies, this fully revised and expanded sixth edition offers a clear framework for evaluating educational innovations, applying them responsibly in real contexts, and interrogating the research base behind any new program or policy. Across the book, readers learn to ask disciplined questions about purpose, evidence quality, implementation conditions, and equity of outcomes, so that adoption decisions are guided by research rather than rhetoric.

Features of the fully revised and expanded sixth edition include:

• A strong evaluation framework that helps both experts and novices make reasonable assessments as informed consumers of research and innovation claims.
• Practical case studies on innovations shaping teaching and learning today, including collaborative and cooperative learning, differentiated instruction, interdisciplinary education, the future of e-learning, and outdoor learning.
• A focus on technology- and resource-related innovations now influencing everyday schooling, including artificial intelligence in education, personalized learning, open educational resources (OER) as curricula, changing teacher and student roles, and unplugged learning.
• Sustained attention to human development and future aims, including educational neuroscience, social and emotional learning, digital equity, social justice, and entrepreneurship education.
• End-of-chapter questions that help readers connect ideas to their classrooms, schools, and communities.

Combining theory with practice, Research on Educational Innovations, Sixth Edition is important reading for students and scholars in Educational Research, Curriculum and Instruction, Assessment, and Educational Leadership and Policy interested in the emerging future of teaching, learning, and evaluation.

Arthur K. Ellis is Professor of Education at Seattle Pacific University, Corresponding Professor of the Russian Academy of Education, and Director of the Center for Global Curriculum Studies at Seattle Pacific University, USA.

Leanna B. Aker is a former professor and program director. She is currently an educational consultant.

David Wicks is Professor of Teacher Education at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, China.