Background:The importance of 'evidence-informed practice' has risen dramatically in education and in other public policy areas. This article focuses on the importance of knowledge mobilisation strategies, processes and outputs. It is concerned with how these can support the adaptation and implementation of evidence from research and professional knowledge to inform changes in educational practices. It presents a case study of the Knowledge Network for Applied Education Research (KNAER), a tripartite initiative in Canada involving the Ontario Ministry of Education, University of Toronto and Western University and 44 KNAER-funded projects. Purpose: The purpose of the article is to analyse the developing approach towards supporting knowledge mobilisation by the KNAER provincial partners through the governing body of the Planning and Implementation Committee and strategic and operational work of the university teams, and also the knowledge mobilisation strategies, challenges and successes of 44 KNAER projects. Design and methods: We utilised a qualitative case study approach to investigate the Knowledge Network for Applied Education Research's (KNAER) approaches to developing knowledge mobilisation over four years (2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014).To explore the work of the KNAER provincial partners, we analysed 17 meeting notes from the Planning and Implementation Committee and 9 notes from the university KNAER partners' meetings. To explore the knowledge mobilisation strategies, challenges and successes of KNAER-funded projects, we analysed the 44 knowledge mobilisation plans, 141 interim reports and 43 final reports submitted by projects. To further investigate the experiences of KNAER projects during their implementation, we analysed responses from 21 people from 19 KNAER projects who participated in a facilitated discussion about their experiences. Results: The Planning and Implementation Committee's role involved three core responsibilities: (1) Approving knowledge mobilisation proposals submitted to the KNAER; (2) Ensuring that collaborative partnerships were developed at the local, provincial, national and international levels; and (3) Approving the KNAER operational and strategic plan. The university partners have taken on the roles of operational management, strategic leadership, and research and

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the potential benefits of a virtual mentorship between teacher candidates and practising teachers. Specifically, the research aimed to determine whether candidates felt they had increased their professional learning and prepared for the realities of the job early in their training program as a means to enhance their well-being. Design/methodology/approach A systemized, virtual mentorship network was set up and a qualitative mixed-methods study was conducted with two separate groups of 77 students total consisting over a three-month course in two consecutive years. Three data sets were collected; this paper reports on one set – qualitative self-reports from mentee participants. Findings The response from preservice teacher participants was, through qualitative self-reports, an overwhelmingly positive. After engaging in a guided virtual mentorship with an experienced teacher, they felt more prepared, more confident and more supported. Response from the preservice teacher participants provided evidence and confirmed a sense of improved educational preparedness for teaching by engaging in a guided virtual mentorship partnership with an experienced teacher. Research limitations/implications Virtual mentorships are highly beneficial for teacher candidates’ learning and professional growth; the relationships positively impact preservice teachers’ level of preparedness for the profession, which can lead to increased confidence and contribute to a positive sense of well-being. In addition, the virtual approach eliminates many of the access barriers that limit the efficacy of traditional, face-to-face mentorships. In doing so, the virtual format makes mentorships a possibility in any teacher preparatory education program, with endless opportunities to connect teachers across the world. Originality/value In an effort to better prepare quality teachers, a virtual mentorship program, embedded in teacher education programs, is a viable solution for shaping preservice teachers learning in the early stages of their careers, establishing a commitment to professional learning and mitigating teacher attrition rates and burnout by enhancing well-being. For these reasons, the authors believe virtual mentorships can be considered to be used as a framework for the future.

The use of networks in public education is one of a number of knowledge mobilization (KMb) strategies utilized to promote evidence-based research into practice. However, challenges exist in the ability to effectively mobilizing knowledge through external partnership networks. The purpose of this paper is to further explore how networks work. Data was collected from virtual discussions for an interim report for a province-wide government initiative. A secondary analysis of the data was performed. The findings present network structures and processes that partners were engaged in when building a network within education. The implications of this study show that building a network for successful outcomes is complex and metaphorically similar to finding the “sweet spot.” It is challenging but networks that used strategies to align structures and processes proved to achieve more success in mobilizing research to practice.

This action research reports on a three-year collaborative learning process among three teachers. We used current literature and a critical reflection framework to understand why our teaching approaches were not resulting in increased student learning. This allowed us to examine our previously unrecognized and uninterrupted—and often, problematic—beliefs and values. Our findings revealed key barriers related to unexamined judgments, beliefs, assumptions, and expectations that affected our ability to facilitate effective learning. This encouraged conceptual change and led to a transformation in our teaching practice: We became more socioculturally responsive teachers. Our findings led us to conclude that professional learning needs to move beyond the acquisition of skills and strategies, and include the critical reflection necessary to deconstruct problematic beliefs and thought-patterns that can impede student learning.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how Ontario principals make sense of difference within student populations and how this sensemaking influences how they do their work. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports on a qualitative study in Ontario, Canada that included 59 semistructured interviews with school principals from English public, secular school districts in Southern Ontario. Findings Four themes emerged in principals’ descriptions of student populations: perceiving everyone as the same, or homogeneous; perceiving visible differences associated with particular religions, race and cultures; perceiving invisible or less visible differences, such as academic differences, socioeconomic status, mental health issues, gender identity and sexual orientation; and perceiving both visible and less visible differences through an inclusive lens. When asked about how their understanding of difference influenced how they did their work, principals’ responses varied from not influencing their work at all to influencing practices and activities. Participants’ context – both personal and local – influenced some of the work they did in their role as school principal. Lastly, multiple sources of disconnect emerged between how principals understood difference and the practices that they engage in at their school site; between their sensemaking about difference and diversity and preparing students for the twenty-first century competencies as global citizens; and between principals’ understanding of difference and diversity and existing provincial policy. Research limitations/implications Study insights not only contribute to an existing body of literature that examines principals’ sensemaking around difference, but also extend this line of inquiry to consider how this sensemaking influences their professional practice. These findings pose additional research questions about how to approach principal professional learning for inclusive and equitable education. For example, even though principals are contractually responsible for students in their care, why is it that their efforts toward equitable and inclusive schooling appear to be limited to the school site and not the wider community? Practical implications Study findings can be used to inform principal preparation programs and professional learning opportunities. Namely, these programs should provide the skill development required as well as the time needed for principals to reflect on their local context and beliefs, and to consider how their local context and beliefs are connected to larger societal efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable society. Social implications School leadership is integral to creating and building more inclusive and equitable public education that improves all students’ success at school. As Ontario’s general population becomes increasingly diverse, it is imperative that principals support success for all students; this can only happen if they understand the complexity of difference within their student populations and beyond, how to address these complexities and how their own understandings and beliefs influence their leadership practices. Originality/value Although other papers have examined how principals make sense of difference and diversity in student bodies, this paper also explores how this sensemaking influences how school leaders do their work.