Abstract
Concerned about the lack of attention currently being given to dissemination and knowledge utilization in school reform, Karen Seashore Louis’ main purpose in this chapter is to ‘reconnect’ knowledge utilization and school improvement. In addressing her theme, she reviews the current “state of the art” in knowledge utilization theory, and discusses how it is connected both to school effectiveness and improvement research. In the second section of the chapter some new perspectives, that have the potential for altering the way in which we understand knowledge utilization, are considered. In concluding, Seashore Louis outlines an emerging model that reconnects knowledge utilization and school improvement theory, as well as identifying implications for practice.
The preparation of this paper was supported in part by the University of Oslo, and the Center for the Organization and Restructuring of Schools at the University of Wisconsin. None of the sponsoring agencies is responsible for the ideas presented herein.
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Louis, K.S. (2005). Reconnecting Knowledge Utilization and School Improvement: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back. In: Hopkins, D. (eds) The Practice and Theory of School Improvement. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4452-6_3
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