Reflection Paper

Julia Hart

Evidence-based practices (EBP) have come to be expected in American classrooms.

Educators should strive to root their teaching practices to current research findings. It is
expected that teachers read professional journals and keep informed of the latest research
findings in their field. Teachers should be critical consumers of research articles. They should
understand the markings of a well-conducted study and be able to decipher how a studys results
may play out in their own classroom. Special education is a field that is particularly driven by
evidence-based practices because our field is continually evolving. Educating children with
disabilities is a relatively new occurrence, compared to the history of general education, so
practices are still being developed and refined at a brisk pace. Because many our students are so
complex and often have multiple factors affecting their success, it is important to note that some
experimentation may be required to find an effective program for a particular child. When
determining an intervention for a given student, Cook and Cook (2011) wrote, EBPs afford the
highest likelihood of increasing a targeted outcome, but educators cannot have abject faith that
an EBP will work for any given individual student (p. 6). This quote demonstrates one way in
which education is a science; it requires experimentation and much trial and error. Education is
also an art, with intuition and creativity influencing a teachers effectiveness
In addition to being consumers of educational research, teachers can become researchers or
welcome researchers into their classrooms to further the collective knowledge of best practices in
education. Gast and Tawney (2010) wrote:
It cannot be overstated that practitioners are often confronted with issues or problems
overlooked by researchers. Thus, if practitioners collaborate with researchers, or acquire the

skills to conduct their own research, they can generate answers to questions that will improve
educational practice. (p. 24)
Participating in research studies or conducting their own research will help teachers and
practitioners connect to education as a form of science. Mandating a scientific view of
education, however, may meet with lots of opposition. Most people tend to be set in their ways
and forcing change upon the masses would be challenging. Pressley, Graham, and Harris (2006)
noted that educational theorists tend to hold on to theories, despite evidence to repudiate them.
Similarly, educators tend to practice what they know, rather than adopting new methods. By
asking teachers to participate in research, and to work to solve the problems that they face in the
classroom, teachers may be more likely to adapt to a scientific view of education. Many
educators naturally employ the scientific method to solve problem behaviors in their classrooms
or to find new ways to help their students learn. To overcome the barrier between research and
practice, teachers will need to be shown how this new way of thinking will help them in their
teaching and ultimately help their students.
Rather than mandates or forced implementation of a new way of thinking, teacher education
and professional development will be necessary for educators to accept a more scientific view of
education. Teachers can be shown the benefits of EBPs and will likely be willing to adapt
because ultimately, teachers are in the field because they want to help children learn and EBPs
seem to be the best way to help our students. Once attitudes change, the greatest challenge to
implementing EBP use widely will be finding a way to disseminate the information to educators
and practitioners.