The European Commission has put the question of research, policy and practice in education and training high on the agenda. Until recently, the influence of the results of educational research on political decision-making did not have high importance in Austria.. This was not only a disappointment for researchers, but the worlds of research and education policy making also drifted apart. Since recently, education policy makers in Austria have been attributing high importance to the results of research in education. "Evidence-based policy" ("faktenbasierte Bildungspolitik") is gaining the position which it deserves. The Minister for Education, Arts and Culture implemented the "Federal institute for educational research, innovation and development of the Austrian school system" (BIFIE) in order to foster evidence-based education policy. The relevant documents of the Ministry of Education stress the importance of national and international studies for the finding of appropriate solutions for the further development of the Austrian school system. The Austrian Ministry of Education will start pilot projects on the lower secondary level aiming at a reform of lower secondary education (10 – 14 years old pupils) which is currently provided in Austria in two different branches (Hauptschule/general secondary school and Allgemein bildende Höhere Schule/academic secondary school). Documents and studies of an advisory committee of education experts (Expert/inn/enkommission "Zukunft der Schule") incorporate in their deliberations national and international investigations in this field. The paper will describe the current developments in Austrian school policy and will investigate its evidence-based drive.

Sources: 1. current documents on reform plans 2. political decisions taken in the field of education 3. findings and recommendations from educational research

Survey on the change of the conditions of educational research and policy making in Austria