In late 2018 I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read Daniel Willingham’s book, When Can You Trust the Experts, and subsequently interview Dan for the Education Research Reading Room Podcast. I found the book to be an incredibly enlightening and invaluable resource, particularly for school leaders, but also for anyone trying to evaluate research evidence, and determine whether a potential educational ‘Change’ at their school is likely to have a positive impact.
A Change could be anything from bringing in a uniform policy to commencing an intensive tutoring project, or banning the use of mobile phones. Basically any edu initiative.
I felt that wider knowledge of the book, and the key lessons therein, would help to empower school leaders to make better decisions when it comes to prioritising different initiatives, and deciding which ones to move forwards with. As such, I've put together a document summarising some of the key takeaways from the book, as well as a few other interesting tidbits. Hope you find it helpful the next time you're considering a Change!