Calls for evidence-based (or evidence-informed) practice in education have been a feature of 21st Century Europe. A dominant assumption is that research evidence should make a difference to teachers’ practice. There are fierce debates though about whether this is the case and how policy-makers can make this happen (Nind, 2006). This symposium asks firstly, what are the key messages for inclusive pedagogy from systematic reviews of research in our field, and secondly, what use is made of these. Systematic reviews constitute a relatively new research approach in education and, according to one supporter of their introduction, they ‘synthesize the findings of many different research studies in a way which is explicit, transparent, replicable, accountable and (potentially) updateable’ (Oakley, 2000: 3). Davies (2004: 22) expands on their role, arguing they ‘contribute to evidence-based policy and practice by identifying the accumulated research evidence on a topic or question, critically appraising it for its methodological quality and findings, and determining the consistent and variable messages that are generated by this body of work’. Debates rage on how central this new method should be to educational policy-making, with Hammersley (2001) arguing that its focus on 'what works' reflects a view of practice as technical rather than the complex, professional operationalisation of multiple goals actually involved. Meanwhile, the method itself is evolving as problems are gradually resolved (Gough, 2004) and different variations developed and evaluated. In inclusive education some kind of evidence review is particularly important: this need relates to (i) the many and sometimes wild claims about glossy techniques and special methods that are the legacy of special education; (ii) the argument of anti-inclusionists that inclusion policies are misplaced because of the lack of evidence of their success (e.g. Wilson, 1999; Farrell, 2001) (both discussed by Thomas & Loxley, 2001); (iii) the tensions experienced by government departments in the face of parental lobbying for special (often costly) interventions (particularly pertinent in Ireland); and (iv) the genuine lack of a coherent body of knowledge about inclusive pedagogy. We ask then, whether systematic reviews help provide this body of knowledge and how it might be used, arguing that this needs to be alongside but not in place of values-based decisions about what kind of society and school system we want (see Thomas,1997; Mittler, 2000; Nind, 2005).

The symposium addresses the key messages for inclusive pedagogy emerging from systematic reviews and their varied applications through bringing together three papers each examining a different systematic review, reflecting a different focus within inclusive education and featuring different relationships with teacher audiences and impacts. Sheehy will present a review of international literature on pedagogy using the EPPI-Centre formal approach, commissioned by the Teacher Development Agency for Schools in England who were seeking simple messages to give trainee and new teachers. Parsons will present a review on best practice for learners on the autistic spectrum combining review of research evidence with review of expert opinion, commissioned by the National Council for Special Education in Ireland to inform policy there. Nind will present a review of school-based interventions to promote mental health, commissioned by the European Union in an attempt to gather Europe-wide evidence and inform Europe-wide policy.

The synthesis of research across the papers illustrates the evidence supporting the argument for universal as distinct from specialist pedagogy and provision in creating educational environments in which the learning and emotional qualities of all learners are taken into account. The English review is one of a trio being translated into practitioner-friendly user summaries for teachers as recommended by Slavin (2008). Sheehy is also finding alternative use for the findings as a way of evaluating teachers’ use of technology. The impact of the Irish and European reviews is likely to be felt much less directly by teachers but could influence the decisions of government departments and thereby the parameters for their own pedagogical decision-making. The symposium discussant will help presenters and participants to interrogate whether and how these kinds of review/meta-analysis can enhance or change the ways in which teachers understand the pedagogical challenge in inclusive classrooms.