Do Policymakers Actually Use Educational Research?

There is no doubt that the educational policy world is in a state of constant change as school performance is not only evaluated by learning outcomes, but also by how well our system addresses social and economic development, as well as inequality (Little & Green, 2009). Further pressures on public policymakers come from educational funds being taken away from the public sector as private organizations take control of educational policies (Abrams, 2016). These are both serious issues for policymakers to contend with as educational expectations are higher and there is less money to work with, so how do they use educational research to help them determine where our educational system is going to go? There is little doubt that some sort of research should be consulted when developing policy.

Jennifer Rippner acknowledges these issues, as she states that , “There are substantial resources at stake, thus inviting attention from private interests through political channels” (2006, p. 154). In a perfect world, policymakers would be able to create their own research studies for educational issues. But these studies do not happen overnight, and often times there is a urgency to make a hasty decision. Also, academic researchers have a different mindset than the general public that results in complex explanations that might not be palatable to politicians who are looking for a quick fix. These same researchers are probably not terribly politically savvy, and might be hesitant to make policy recommendations. Not to mention that politicians are distrustful of data that does not come from within their own circle of influence, such as their staff or their peers (Rippner, 2016).

But I see a whole new set of issues when elected and appointed officials try to consult academic research when setting educational policy. Academic research studies are long, and are often hard to read and understand by those who are steeped in academia, let alone poor folks from outside our halls who are just trying to get some information so they can make a decision. Seriously, does the average appointed official understand the importance of a literature review or all of the data charts that were dumped out of SPSS by hard-working researchers? Do peer-reviewed journals hold they same mystical prominence for a politician (if they can even access these readings), and can they understand the concept of biases that researchers might be laboring under? What about consideration of the research design and the educational theories that apply (not to mention pedagogy)? These unknowns makes for a grim outlook for those of us who hope to have informed educational policymakers.

So, the current situation is that we have people making very important decision based on research that they might not able to access, or understand if they are able to find it. And many of these individuals have serious political agendas and supporter obligations that they have to meet. One tool that is available for policymakers is “A Policymaker’s Primer on Education Research” that is produced by The Education Commission of the States. This is a wonderful resource that can help these individuals learn about how research can be properly used. But how many policymakers have actually read this, and if they do, will they actually apply this knowledge?

This blog post is kind a stone-cold bummer to read, and it was not much fun to write either. I answered almost nothing here, and ended up with many more questions than I started with. One thing I do know is that education is our most important avenue for having an inclusive society, and we have to do our best to ensure that policymakers get the information they need to make the proper decisions.

Thank you for checking in today!

Resources:

Abrams, S. (2016). Education and the commercial mindset. Boston: Harvard University Press.

Little, A., & Green, A. (2009). Successful globalization, education, and sustainable development. International Journal of Educational Development, 29(2), 166-174.

Murgatroyd, S., Sahlberg, P. (2016). The two solitudes of educational policy and the challenge of development. Journal of Learning for Development, 3(3), 9-21.

Rippner, J. (2016). The American education policy landscape. New York, NY: Routledge.