Resident Scholar  Frederick M. Hess

In recent years, the rigor and quality of educational research have drawn much attention. This increased interest has been driven by state efforts to collect student achievement data, the creation of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the explicit call for "scientifically based research" written into the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, professional interest in "data-driven decision making," and the refinement of sophisticated analytic tools and methods. Proponents have hailed these developments as the dawn of a new era in educational research. Meanwhile, more jaded observers have suggested that broader changes in the policy environment--including dissemination strategies of advocacy groups, the role of the Internet, the impatience of policy makers and foundations eager to spur rapid and dramatic improvement in measured student performance, and increasingly polarized political debate--have made it less likely that research--even when it is rigorous and reliable--will influence policy.

Increased attention to educational research has primarily focused on the relative merits of various research methodologies, how to identify "best practices" or "scientifically based" methods, and how to encourage educators to make use of research findings. Far less consideration has been given to the frustratingly vague but vital challenge of understanding how research does or doesn't shape policy. In a new volume on "when research matters," being published this spring by Harvard Education Press, a team of scholars and I tackle that question, exploring when and why research influences policy; what role is played by intermediaries like scholarly journals, advocacy groups, and the press; and how these factors affect contemporary school reform. In this special section, several contributors to that volume--including Jeffrey Henig, Dan Goldhaber, Dominic Brewer, Lance Fusarelli, Richard Ingersoll, James Kim, and Andrew Rotherham--address the complicated relationship of research, policy, and schooling.

Frederick M. Hess is a resident scholar and director of education policy studies at AEI.

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