Publication:

Ghosts at the Feast: The role of research centres in supporting innovative practice in local authorities (2007)

Author(s): Hall E, Clark J

    Abstract: This paper reports on the tensions of evaluation for project workers, managers and researchers. In the UK, a great deal of the innovative practice dedicated to improving the life chances of children and their families is developed by Local Authorities under the umbrella of project funding which includes an independent evaluation: apparently an ideal opportunity for researchers and practitioners to work collaboratively but, in our experience, there are key structural problems. We explore why it is that researchers fail to give formative feedback to local authorities and why they can feel that they are unwanted guests – ‘ghosts at the feast’.

      • Journal: Studies in research: Evaluation, Impact and Training
      • Volume: 2
      • Pages: 1-9
      • Publisher: The University of Newcastle, Australia
      • Publication type: Article
      • Bibliographic status: Published

      Keywords: Evaluation, Sure Start

      Staff

      Jill Clark
      Senior Research Associate and Business Development Director for the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching

      Elaine Hall
      Senior Research Associate