Improving Learning

Steven Higgins is Professor of Education at the University of Durham. He was the lead author of the 'Sutton Trust-Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning Toolkit' (2014) and led an Economic and Social Research Council researcher development initiative on meta-analysis.

• Part I. Understanding Meta-Analysis and Meta-Synthesis: 1. Why meta-analysis?; 2. A brief history of meta-analysis; 3. Meta-synthesis in education: what can we compare?; 4. The Teaching and Learning Toolkit; Part II. What's Made a Difference to Learning?: 5. Meta-analysis and pedagogy; 6. Meta-analysis and literacy; 7: Unpicking the evidence about parental involvement and engagement; 8. Conclusions and final reflections.

'Higgins is our greatest education evidence map-maker, a pioneer who has bridged the divide between the worlds of academia and classroom practice. His meta-syntheses, summarised in our toolkit, have transformed the working lives of teachers. Evidence does not deliver crude diktats of 'what works' in learning, but it is the best bet to enlighten and empower education professionals – that's Higgins' 'meta' take-home message.' Lee Elliot Major, Chief Executive, The Sutton Trust