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Initiatives must be followed by a number of activities that must be carefully planned and implemented to produce the desired changes in school practice. The theory, the systematic

review and the experiences from ten countries and region show that these activities centre around six thematic areas: management and leadership, professional development, support systems, fidelity, attitudes and perceptions, and finally sustainability. The review and the experiences from the ten countries and regions show that each of these six areas is of vital importance in the implementation processes of research-based knowledge, whether this be in the form of specific interventions or a more conceptual form, such as collaboration bet-ween schools. The review and the experiences also demonstrate that there are several factors within each area that can hinder implementation. The experiences, in particular, also show that there are cultural differences between countries which influence the implementation of research-based knowledge in schools.

Above all, initiatives rely on management and leadership. If the initiatives come from the centre, it must be decided how the implementation process is to be monitored at local mu-nicipal level, and this level must, again, follow up with individual schools. Experience from the studies shows that failure to follow up at a local level has led to big statewide reforms failing to deliver measurable results (Finland, Norway). Experience from two of the coun-tries in the state-of-the-field analysis have also pointed to how statewide initiatives have been implemented with success either by introducing research-based knowledge into the national curriculum (Maryland) or by establishing comprehensive processes to transfer research-based knowledge to the school level, with the inclusion additionally of bottom-up processes (Ontario).

Whether the initiatives come from central or from local municipal level, the most important and decisive management and leadership processes are in the individual schools. School principals or management teams must be enthusiastic supporters of the implementation – not just at the beginning of the implementation, but also during and after implementation.

They must ensure sufficient financial and human resources and administrative support.

They must also select key staff members to take and maintain responsibility for the process.

Finally, they must motivate the whole staff and be prepared for the setbacks that will always come during the implementation of innovations. High expectations, personal support, and caring relations are important. Almost all studies in the systematic review show how im-portant local management and leadership are; and there are studies that show how lack of leadership can ruin an implementation process.

The second component in the knowledge-transfer process is professional development, which can be subdivided into initial teacher training and continuing professional development.

Here, institutions providing initial training and in-service training play an important role.

Regarding initial teacher training, comparison of traditions among the ten countries in the state-of-the-field review is interesting. One country stands out for its initial teacher training being on the master’s level (Finland), and in this country teachers are expected to take responsibility for bringing research-based knowledge into their teaching, since they themselves have experience with research. In all other countries but one (Denmark), teacher training is research-based, and training is, with a few exceptions, provided in universities.

Danish teacher training is research-informed and the single route to becoming a teacher takes place in university colleges.

Continuing professional development also differs considerably between the ten countries and regions. About half require probationary periods for newly trained teachers, and there are legal requirements for continuing professional development, of which the highest level is in Scotland with 35 hours per year. A few countries (among them Denmark) have no formal requirements for continuing professional development.

The review demonstrates that professional development is vital to the implementation of research-based knowledge in regard to introducing and following up implementation, both in terms of re-culturing staff attitudes and of changing daily practices. Professional devel-opment should not just take the form of courses introducing theoretical and practical facts and procedures, but should be given in a multitude of channels, including guidance and support in the classroom and feedback based on observations, video recordings, and data from students. Practices that include team collaboration and the chance to share experience both between teachers and between schools are important. Partnerships with other schools, school districts and universities also aid implementation. Several of the studies in the syste-matic review show that teachers with too scanty knowledge of the content and procedures in the implementation process, which has led to poor or no results.

The third component in implementing research-based knowledge in schools is support sy-stems. Professional development can provide initial knowledge for implementation, but it is also necessary to establish support systems. Such systems can be strongly centralised or very decentralised. Most countries in the state-of-the-field analysis rely on a suite of diffe-rent support systems, ranging from foundation institutes or organisations, centrally placed learning consultants, website-based information bases, discussion forums, collaboration between schools and universities, to collaborative inquiry models. The systematic review gives a rather firm empirical basis for the conclusion that training in itself is not enough. In order to drive implementation, training must be supplemented by supervision, coaching, and other local support measures. Longer and more comprehensive training seems to be

necessary than is typically provided, along with booster sessions and data-based informa-tion on implementainforma-tion fidelity.

The next component with very strong links to management and leadership, professional development, and support systems is implementation fidelity. Fidelity in implementation is crucial to the attainment of positive effects. The state-of-the-field analysis is unable to point at country-specific differences in how fidelity is assured. Common across the results from the systematic review is that teachers tend to stick to their known routines rather than following written instructions and guidelines. The norm often seems to be practice-based evidence, rather than evidence-based practice – a feature that signals that teachers and schools strug-gle to follow rigorous protocols or manuals. The optimal delivery model for school-based interventions may be described as flexibility within fidelity: that is, the effort to strike a good balance between prescriptiveness and flexibility. Checklists, video observations, and group feedback sessions are therefore important, together with data from students. Obstacles to fidelity are the lack of time, teachers’ non-perceptions of the relevance of the programme or activity, interference by meetings, test-taking, and field trips, and high turnover rates of teachers or school principals may interfere with the implementation.

Component number five is attitudes and perceptions. Positive attitudes and perceptions are vital for implementation success, and they are best fostered in the professional development phase, where policy language and clarity of implementation procedures are assured. The state-of-the-field study shows a pattern of relatively high acceptance and compliance among principals and teachers in some country contexts, while in others there is more resistance to change, which in turn restrains implementation. These differences are related to local tra-ditions, from relatively fixed curriculum-controlled instruction (Maryland) to high degrees of autonomy (especially the Nordic countries).

The sixth and last component is the issue of sustainability. The state-of-the-field analysis does not yield information of country-specific differences in how sustainability is assured – except perhaps in Ontario, where the interviewee said:

New teachers have an obvious orientation towards a research focused attitude, collaboration, and a habit of mind of ques-tioning. In general the teachers have a learning approach to their work, and they believe that teaching is complex and that their professionalism must be founded on a solid groundwork.

But the interviewee ends with a remark that is heard in all countries:

The systematic review points to sustainability being the product of several factors all working together: a shared language, communication, ongoing planning and renewal, evaluation, good relations, and re-commitment. Changes in policy climate and the termination of funding can damage sustainability, and there also seem to be life cycles for intervention projects that are connected to new projects building on newer research results and change in paradigms.