Connecting Reading Research on with Educational Practice and Policy

Abstract There is a well‐known gap between research and practice. While there are investments in some strategies to address this gap, they are often not drawing from the existing research on how to improve research use. This article shares what we understand about the many ways research is used in education, why educators may use research, and under what conditions research is used in policy and practice. If scientists understand the levers that support research use, they may be able to create research that is more useful to decision‐makers and share that research through effective strategies such as using boundary spanners, individuals who straddle both the research and practice worlds. The article concludes by sharing some examples of promising strategies to improve the use of research in education such as research–practice partnerships.