Labour would establish a new independent body to evaluate the best ways of improving teaching, the shadow education secretary has revealed.
Stephen Twigg said the Office For Educational Improvement would help England's schools climb the international league by putting evidence rather than the opinions of politicians "at the heart of educational reform".
Comparing the proposed body to the current Office for Budgetary Responsibility, the MP added it would involve people with frontline educational experience such as headteachers rather than being "just another quango".
Writing in the Times, Mr Twigg said: "What we should do is base policy on what actually works, putting evidence at the heart of educational reform.
"This is why Labour would establish an Office For Educational Improvement, independent of ministers."
He said the office would be responsible for promoting high standards, spreading best practice, acting as a clearing house for research and aiming to improve England's position in league tables.
It would also be the leading authority on educational policy, including areas such as social mobility, he added.
Twigg said: "Education suffers from a surfeit of political initiatives that stifle effectiveness.
"When resources are limited we must focus our time and efforts on what works. I see the Office for Educational Improvement as a powerful lever to bring in that change."