The Uptake of Evidence on Policy Development and School Improvement in Cyprus

Abstract

This chapter describes the experiences of a researcher involved in creating a new evaluation policy for the Ministry of Education and Culture in Cyprus. This included reforms to school evaluation and school self-evaluation. How was it informed by scholars, by previous policy, and by recent developments in several EU and non-EU countries? What was the role of different stakeholders in it? While designing the new evaluation policy, different education policies and practices were studied, and all stakeholders had the opportunity to voice their opinions, challenges and needs. From this approach, it was evident that change is no linear process, and it involved constant readings and discussions to revisit major points presented by each stakeholder, thus allowing a holistic view. This became a critically important feature of the approach as it allowed the members of the committee to examine and re-examine different aspects of all stakeholders' opinions. It is evident that it was not enough to study factors associated with the success or failure of the latest policy to solve the change challenge. The evaluation itself is a controversial issue where scholars and scientists intend to approach it from a different angle than government officers, policymakers, citizens, school leaders, who themselves approach it differently than the evaluatee. For this reason, the committee preferred to approach this matter by merging top-down and bottom-up opinions and acting in a collegial way.

Citation

Chinas, C. (2022), "The Uptake of Evidence on Policy Development and School Improvement in Cyprus", Brown, C. and Malin, J.R. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Evidence-Informed Practice in Education, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 335-349. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-141-620221038