How Education Research Can Be Useful to School Reformers and Policymakers
WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 8, 2008 -- What role does research play in shaping education policy? What role should it play? AEI's Frederick M. Hess convened a panel of experts at the American Enterprise Institute on February 7 to address "what 2008 holds for research in education." The panelists--including Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, the director of the Institute for Education Sciences (IES); Gerald Sroufe of the American Educational Research Association; and James Kohlmoos of the Knowledge Alliance--considered the state of education research as well as the various players who create, convey, and use scholarship. In 2001, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act required that federal dollars in education be steered toward programs and practices proven effective by scientific research. In 2002, Congress passed the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA), which created the IES to support and fulfill that requirement. With reauthorization of NCLB still pending and with the IES also up for renewal in 2008, it is time to assess where education research stands.
Hess presented findings from his new book, When Research Matters (Harvard Education Press, 2008). He called for a closer examination of the organizations that collect and communicate research to policymakers, emphasized the need to invest in long-term data sets, and examined the incentives that drive researchers, school districts and policymakers. Hess also urged policymakers to acknowledge the limitations of research, which should not be expected to provide pat answers to all education reform questions.
Whitehurst argued that the path between research and policy is a two-way street. While policymakers use research to shape legislation, legislation can also identify topics on which research is needed. He pointed to the provision of NCLB that require schools to hire "highly qualified teachers" as an example. Research prompted by this provision has shown that teacher quality has a greater impact on student achievement than any other identifiable variable--including socioeconomic status. "The insights that have come from this research," Whitehurst said, "have generated very interesting policy proposals with regard to the recruitment, tenure, and salary schemes for teachers."
Whitehurst posed two questions: "What is it that the research community can provide?" and "What research do school superintendents need?" He urged researchers to identify the areas where the answers to these questions intersect and to increase communication and collaboration between those using research and those producing it.
Pointing to the increasing public angst over America's international economic competitiveness, Kohlmoos emphasized the importance of fostering a research and development infrastructure in the education sector that is capable of helping American schools keep pace with other countries. The demand for research is great, he said, but the supply of solid research has yet to catch up. Kohlmoos joined Whitehurst in recommending a stronger partnership between research and policymaking, and he criticized current efforts in the Senate to derail an evaluation of the Upward Bound program.
In contrast to the other panelists, Sroufe argued that framing the discussion of research and policy as an "intersection" mischaracterized the reality. Politics, he argued, are present throughout the education research enterprise. Its role should be recognized as the norm, not an aberration. Sroufe also noted the need for a substantially increased investment in education research. He compared a stack of thirty-seven dollar bills--representing the $30 billion invested in research at the National Institutes of Health and the $7 billion at the National Science Foundation--to the 38¢ that represents how little the government spends on research in education.
NCLB and the establishment of IES are important steps forward for the field of education research. The panelists agreed that reauthorization of NCLB and ESRA in 2008 will be a turning point for defining the role that research will play in shaping education policy going forward.
--JULIET SQUIRE
For media inquiries, contact Véronique Rodman at vrodman@aei.org or 202.862.4870.
