SYSTEMIC REPLICATION AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH-BASED EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND DECISION-MAKING

Explored are implications for insuring that research knowledge is developed in a manner that makes it readily usable by educational consumers, in particular educational leaders. Distinguished are the implications from two conflicting perspectives in educational research, contrasting the merits of an emphasis study-specific internal validity [1] and research which emphasizes multi-study systematic replication [2]. Following a reconciliation of these two research perspectives, both are fit within the dynamics of a multiple baseline research design approach, with an eye toward broadening the scope of research-based knowledge usable by educational decision-makers. Of particular interest is the concept of replication, and how, using the aforementioned design, multi-site replication is accomplished, adding additional support to educational leaders during the decision-making process.