What is a Policy Brief?
- A policy brief is a concise summary of a particular issue, the policy options to deal with it, and some recommendations on the best option.
- The Schools that Work II study findings will be presented in a series of condensed, accessible, easily digestible and an easy to read formats in the form of advocacy policy briefs. There will be four policy briefs each month between January and May 2018.
- An advocacy brief argues in favour of a particular course of action.
- The purpose for the advocacy policy briefs is to raise awareness of different issues, provide clear takeaway messages from research findings, and to provide evidenced-informed best practices or possible solutions to problems that schools in general are grappling with.
How Can Schools Use Policy Briefs?
It is recommended schools:
- Read and discuss each policy brief and think about how it applies to your school, and discuss what you believe to be most appropriate for your particular circumstances.
- Decide whether you would put into action options suggested in the policy briefs in your school or develop alternatives that are more appropriate for your school.
- Establish how close you think your school is to the ideal as expressed by each best practice—after you have settled on a set of best practices that are appropriate for your school.
- Determine your school’s priorities for improvement in 2018.