Education Research On Trial: Policy Reform and the Call for Scientific Rigor

by Walters; Pamela B.

• ISBN13: 9780415989893
• ISBN10: 0415989892
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2008-11-26
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Read the author's commentary for the Teachers College Record here: http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=15915 It is not an exaggeration to say that the field of education has been under attack. Many, particularly in Washington, D.C., have proclaimed the research to be shoddy. They have called for new "scientific" standards for research. Randomized control trials have been promoted. In many of these discussions, the only criterion is making a more rational and scientific approach to education research. Since the federal government plays a leadership role in defining the terms of education debates, this critique is important. It stands to radically reshape research and possibly school priorities in the future. The essays in this book take up this important topic. They offer critical insight into how this debate came to flourish. Some of the authors take issue with core assertions of the debate; other are sympathetic. Taken together, they help to broaden and deepen our understanding of the efforts to revamp the field of education research and, ultimately education. The chapters also discuss the factors that facilitate, and impede, research from having an impact on policy. Teaching and Learning Goals Include: -- helps illuminate the relationship between education research and policy --critically examines key assumptions of federal legislation particularly the call for scientific rigor in the No Child Left Behind Legislation --helps students understand the broader intellectual context of this crisis in education

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
The Politics of Knowledge	p. 15
The Politics of Science: Battles for Scientific Authority in the Field of Education Research	p. 17
A History of Efforts to Improve the Quality of Federal Education Research: From Gardner's Task Force to the Institute of Education Sciences	p. 51
Seeking Rigor; Finding Rigor	p. 81
Assessing Quality in Educational Journals	p. 83
Can Non-randomized Studies Provide Evidence of Causal Effects? A Case Study Using the Regression Discontinuity Design	p. 105
Blending Quality and Utility: Lessons Learned from the Education Research Debates	p. 125
Toward a More Comprehensive Understanding of Science and Policy	p. 143
Narrow Questions, Narrow Answers: The Limited Value of Randomized Controlled Trials for Education Research	p. 145
A Quixotic Quest? Philosophical Issues in Assessing the Quality of Education Research	p. 163
Education Research That Matters: Influence, Scientific Rigor, and Policymaking	p. 197
Appendices
The Definition of "Scientifically Based Research" in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001	p. 221
The Definitions of "Scientifically Based Research" in the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002	p. 223
Mission and Functions of the Institute of Education Sciences, as Detailed in the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002	p. 225
Selection from Request for Proposals for Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences, Issued by the Institute of Education Sciences in 2004	p. 227
Notes on Contributors	p. 231
Index	p. 235
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.