From evidence-based policy to classroom innovation: a support helpdesk for research-practice partnership within the Acadimia project

Today, although the body of scientific evidence is extensive, consolidated, and widely disseminated, a significant gap remains between research and practice. Empirical findings often fail to produce concrete improvements in teaching practices: while teachers recognize the potential value of research for improving and innovating educational processes, they daily face barriers related to accessibility, perceived relevance, and organizational support. Starting from this framework, this paper illustrates and discusses an intervention research tool designed by the University of Florence as part of the Erasmus+ European project "Acadimia," whose objective is to promote school inclusion and the achievement of educational objectives, particularly for disadvantaged students, through the adoption of innovative and creative teaching methods previously validated in European initiatives. The tool is conceived as a teaching resource to support teachers in implementing one or more of these methods in their classrooms. It consists of voluntary meetings with the research team, structured around a dedicated support module that gathers information on the educational context, the motivation for the request, and possible solutions, also to identify the need for follow-up meetings. The results demonstrate observable impacts in stimulating teachers' metacognitive reflection on their own practices, highlighting collegial dialogue and mentoring as key factors in translating research findings and professional concerns into concrete classroom activities with inclusive and participatory effects. At the same time, the initiative contributes to the still limited body of solid empirical evidence on the effectiveness of RRPs and helps make evidence-based practice more sustainable over time.