This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Funding boost for applied educational research
11/06/2002
The importance of research in supporting improvements in Scotland's schools was boosted today by £2 million towards a new scheme to support applied educational research.
The scheme will be run jointly with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). The Scottish Executive and SHEFC will contribute £1 million each to the scheme.
Welcoming the new scheme, Minister for Education and Young People Cathy Jamieson said:
"If we are to raise attainment in Scotland's schools, we need to be able to rely on methods which have been proven to do just that. That means looking for better information on effective educational practices, practices which can help close the existing attainment gap, and practices that allow schools to make progress against our National Priorities for education.
"Good quality research is a vital tool in this work. I am therefore delighted to announce the Scottish Executive's support for this major joint scheme to strengthen our capacity for educational research in Scotland.
"A wider research base with high quality output will mean that decisions on Scottish education are better informed and will help Scotland to be at the forefront of international developments in school education."
Roger McClure, Chief Executive of SHEFC, said:
"The Council is delighted to be working with the Scottish Executive on this joint initiative, which will develop Scotland's capacity to provide innovative and high quality social science research on education in Scotland.
"Because of its strategic importance to the country, our aim is to pump-prime the quality of applied educational research from a relatively low base."
The new Scheme has been established following discussions with the following: HM Inspectorate of Education, COSLA, ADES, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Economic and Social Research Council and CBI Scotland.
Its aim is to increase Scotland's capacity to produce high quality educational research, which will provide support for improvements in Scottish schools. The scheme will widen the research base enabling innovations in schools to be evaluated so that progress on the national priorities for education - achievement and attainment; framework for learning; inclusion and equality; values and citizenship; learning for life - can be better measured.
The Scottish Executive will provide £1 million over five years to the Scheme research programme, while SHEFC will contribute £1 million over three years from its Research Development Grant to provide the Initiative's infrastructure.
All Scottish higher education institutions will be able to bid, individually or jointly, for funding from the scheme, which will increase capacity for social scientific research on education.