All of the following (and much more) are available free online at the University of Leicester Research Centre for Museums & Galleries website: http://www.le.ac.uk/ms/research/pub1116.html Lots of reading to keep you out of trouble for a while!

Inspiration, Identity, Learning: The Value of Museums, Second Study. An evaluation of the DCMS/DCSF National/Regional Museum Partnership Programme in 2006-2007
April 2006-September 2007
Since 2003 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), now the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), have jointly sponsored a partnership between national and regional museums in England that is designed …. more

Engage, Learn, Achieve: The impact of museum visits on the attainment of secondary pupils in the East of England 2006-2007
November 2006-September 2007
This report was commissioned from the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) by Renaissance East of England and Museums, Libraries and Archives East of England. It investigates the impact that museums in the East of England have …. more

The Madonna of the Pinks: Evaluation of the Education and Community strategy for the Madonna of the Pinks
July 2004-September 2007
The Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) was commissioned by the National Gallery to carry out a long-term evaluation of the impact of Raphael’s ‘Madonna of the Pinks’ on young people. The evaluation focuses on the perceptions, feeling and attitudes of young people …. more

What did you learn at the museum today? Second Study. Evaluation of the outcomes and impact of learning through the implementation of the Education Programme Delivery Plan across nine Regional Hubs (2005)
June 2005-February 2006
Commissioned from the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), this report explores the impact of Renaissance funding on museum education, looking specifically at the impact on pupils’ learning following school visits to museums. This study grows out of and extends an earlier study carried out in 2003-2004 …. more

Developing Learning Advocates in museums, libraries and archives in the North West
November 2004-December 2005
Developing learning advocates in museums, archives and libraries in the North West was a professional development initiative facilitated by the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) in partnership …. more

Engaging archives with Inspiring Learning for All: A report prepared for MLA North West
April 2005-September 2005
Commissioned by MLA North West, the aim of this research study was to identify and analyse the challenges and barriers which militate against archives in the North West engaging with Inspiring Learning for All …. more

Developing Learning Advocates in museums, libraries and archives in the East Midlands
January – December 2004
In response to MLA's initiative Inspiring Learning for All, the East Midlands Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (EMMLAC), now MLA East of England, developed a cross-domain learning network for the region …. more

Evaluation of the Open Minds education programme: Harewood House, Leeds
November 2002 – October 2004
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), The ‘Open Minds’ education programme at Harewood House started on 2000 to work with young people aged from 7-18 years, to introduce new audiences …. more

Inspiration, Identity, Learning: The value of museums. Evaluation of the DCMS/DfES Strategic Commissioning 2003-2004 National/Regional Museum Education Partnerships
July 2003-June 2004
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), now the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), commissioned twelve projects through the Strategic Commissioning Programme 2003-2004: National/Regional Museum Education Partnerships. The aim was to encourage partnerships between museums and the educational sector …. more

Developing an online learning system for tertiary education and the museum and gallery sector: TCS Project with Mackenzie Ward Research Ltd (mwr)
June 2002-May 2004
The TCS project with Mackenzie Ward Research Ltd. (mwr) was funded by the former Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as part of the UK government's initiative to facilitate knowledge transfer between the higher education sector and industry. The project aimed to benchmark and test …. more

Mirror: World Communities of practice for learning and innovation in Natural Science
January 2002-March 2004
Funded by the European Union (EU), Mirror was a collaborative project which aimed to research learning strategies and cooperative practices among museum staff and to launch innovative web-based technologies to …. more

What did you learn at the museum today? The evaluation of the impact of the Renaissance in the Regions Education Programme in the three Phase 1 Hubs (August, September and October 2003)
July 2003-February 2004
The Renaissance in the Regions Report (2001) recommended a new integrated framework for the museum sector in order to promote excellence and develop services, particularly the development and improvement of the learning and education potential of museums …. more

Learning Impact Research Project Phase 1 & 2: The development of Inspiring Learning for All
September 2001 – early 2004
The Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) was commissioned by Resource, now the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), to work with them on the development of Inspiring Learning for All, a vision for accessible learning in museums, archives and libraries …. more

Learning through culture: An evaluation of the DfES Museums and Galleries Education Programme
April 2001-March 2002
The Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) was commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), now the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), to evaluate the Museums and Galleries Education Programme …. more

Seeing the museum through the visitors’ eyes: an evaluation of the Education Challenge Fund
September 2000 - February 2002
The Education Challenge Fund was a response to the rapidly growing need for increased educational capacity in museums in Britain. Launched in 1999 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the fund aimed to provide museums and galleries with access …. more

Evaluating Creativity: The evaluation of the ten gallery education projects of Encompass 2000
March 2000 -September 2001
The Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) was commissioned by engage, The National Association for Gallery Education, to evaluate its two-year encompass programme, ten projects linking schools and galleries across England. The projects targeted …. more

Researching Learning in Museums and Galleries 1990-1999: A Bibliographic Review
January 1999-July 2001
A major focus for the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) is the educational role, function and potential of museums and galleries. When RCMG was launched in January 1999 it was evident that there was no readily available overview …. more

From: List for discussion of issues in museum education in the UK. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Janine Marriott
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 1:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [GEM] Research to justify learning out of the classroom

Does anyone know of any specific research that confirms what we all know about learning outside the classroom.
Ie Children learn more, think more and retain more when learning at a historic site or environmental education centre?
I know it's out there, I just can't seem to find it
Thanks
Janine