ERIC ED421593: Laying the Groundwork for a New Generation of Policy Research: Commentary on "Knowledge Utilization in Educational Policy and Politics." Spotlight on Student Success No. 303.

5 Pages·1998·0.11 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
UD 032 445
ED 421 593
AUTHOR
Wong, Kenneth K.
Laying the Groundwork for a New Generation of Policy
TITLE
Research: Commentary on "Knowledge Utilization in
Educational Policy and Politics." Spotlight on Student
Success No. 303.
INSTITUTION Mid-Atlantic Lab. for Student Success, Philadelphia, PA.
SPONS AGENCY
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),
Washington, DC.
PUB DATE
1998-00-00
NOTE
4p.; A complete version of the article can be found in
"Educational Administration Quarterly," v34 n1 p141-46 Feb
1998.
PUB TYPE
Reports Evaluative (142)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Budgeting; *Educational Policy; Educational Research;
Elementary Secondary Education; Futures (of Society); Higher
Education; Incentives; *Policy Formation; *Research
Utilization; Retrenchment; *Scholarship; *Schools of
Education; Teacher Education
ABSTRACT
This research digest reports that the field of educational
policy is faced with an interrelated set of challenges for the future:
producing high quality work while ensuring that paradigmatic ideas are useful
for operational purposes. Scholarship in educational policy faces two kinds
of institutional problems. The first is the retrenchment in the higher
education sector. Education as a graduate field of study is becoming
vulnerable as universities downsize. A second problem is that educational
policy is a field with a high degree of permeability, one that does not often
export paradigmatic ideas to the broader social science and policy community.
Fostering a close connection between conceptual work and intervention design
is made complicated in the educational community by institutional inertia,
competing paradigms, and political influences. Nevertheless, the research
community is beginning to take a more active policy role. This action has
politicized the manner in which large-scale research is organized, and has
put the research community under great public pressure to get involved in
school reform. These two constraints lead to long term challenges that call
(1) being fiscally autonomous with university
for these renewal efforts:
educational studies programs while maintaining programmatic connection to the
(2) creating incentives for researchers to collaborate in an
liberal arts;
effort to link conceptual knowledge to operational concerns; and (3) earning
the reputation that the educational policy field is intellectually exciting
and methodologically robust.
(SLD)
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Laying the Groundwork for a New Generation of Policy Research:
Commentary on "Knowledge Utilization in Educational Policy and Politics."
by
Kenneth K. Wong
A Digest of Research from the Laboratory for Student Success.
Number 303
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it.
g Minor changes have been
made to
improve reproduction quality.
Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy.
LSS
A digest of research from the Laboratory for Student Success
No. 303
Laying the Groundwork for a New Generation of Policy Research:
Commentary on "Knowledge Utilization in Educational Policy and Politics"
by
Kenneth K. Wong
faculty. Although it may enhance ac-
As we approach the 21st century,
several structural factors within the edu-
countability, the absence of tenure may
the field of educational policy is faced
\cational domain, as implied by Mitchell
take away the most important incentive
with an interrelated set of challenges
and Boyd (1998). First, education entails
for our most capable college graduates
producing high-quality conceptual
a multilayered policy system. Knowledge
to enroll in doctoral programs and, in
utilization is constrained by organiza-
work while ensuring that paradigmatic
turn, to pursue an academic career. With-
ideas are useful for operational pur-
tional inertia at each of the levels, rang-
poses. These challenges and their
out a stable faculty with an institutional
ing from the macro (i.e., societal and re-
memory, the quality of doctoral training
gime) to the micro (i.e., school organiza-
broader implications will be discussed
is likely to be uneven and may eventu-
tion and instructional units) levels.
in this
Spotlight.
ally erode.
Second, education is replete with
competing paradigms. Mitchell and
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Second, educational policy is a field
with a high degree of permeability. The
FACES RETRENCHMENT
Boyd (1998) identified four types of con-
trol systems that shape the ways re-
educational policy research community
has done well by adapting theoretical
sources arc allocated and services are
Scholarship in educational policy
frameworks developed by political sci-
provided. Knowledge generated out of
in this nation faces two kinds of institu-
entists, sociologists, and economists,
one control setting, such as public pro-
tional problems. First, the higher edu-
among others. However, if one conducts
duction, is likely to be ignored by those
cation sector is undergoing major re-
a critical self-assessment, one will find
engaged in the private markets. Schol-
trenchment. Education in the form of a
arly contention can be quite intense
very few examples in which researchers
graduate program of study is vulnerable
in the educational policy field export
when the media magnifies different find-
to campuswide restructuring as univer-
paradigmatic ideas to the broader so-
ings and partisan position becomes po-
sities downsize their doctoral enrollment.
larized on the issues. For example, the
cial science and policy community. How
Education alumni are often perceived as
often do we publish our books with
current debate over school choice among
holding "low status" occupations and
noneducation publishers? Do we try to
political scientists has been fueled by
are seen as politically less connected to
send our articles to journals outside the
partisan split on the issue.
such traditional centers of power as law
educational domain? If we regard social
Third, the political process often de-
and business. Because research univer-
science knowledge as cumulative, then
sities see education as largely outside
termines the level of legitimacy in the use
of research-based knowledge. When
our field must contribute its fair share
the traditional liberal arts, social scien-
toward theory advancement.
conflicts arise, parties from opposing
tists whose allegiance lies within the dis-
sides are most likely to seek out scien-
cipline are likely to experience a shifting
LINKING THEORY TO PRACTICE
tific evidence to further their causes. Ex-
toward an individualistic interest in edu-
amples include lawsuits on racial deseg-
cational issues. Another threat to the
The challenge of fostering a close
regation and funding equalization in doz-
research community comes from the
connection between conceptual work
ens of states (Coleman, 1987; Wong,
emerging development of the termina-
and intervention design is embedded in
tion of indefinite tenure to university
1993).
is an occasional series of articles highlighting findings from the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS), the
Spotlight on Student Success
Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory, that have significant implications for improving the academic success of students in the
mid-Atlantic region. For information about the LSS and other LSS publications, contact the Laboratory for Student Success, 1301 Cecil
B. Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-6091; telephone: [phone]; e-mail: [email protected]. Also visit our World Wide
Web site at http://www.temple.edu/LSS.
3
These hindering factors notwith-
and heightened contention is
seen
connected to the liberal arts. Faculty
standing, researchers have become
among researchers when the political
candidates with disciplinary training
more active in policy development and
and financial stakes become high. Need-
can be recruited, thereby facilitating
implementation in recent years. Several
less to say, professional standards
may
cross-fertilization of various
perspec-
patterns of bridging the paradigm-op-
inadvertently be displaced in the face
tives and methodologies.
eration gap seem to have emerged. First,
of ideological challenges and financial
Second, incentives need to exist for
non-university-based consulting
orga-
concerns. Such a tendency may worsen
researchers to collaborate in
an effort
nizations within the Beltway in Wash-
in the next generation
as universities
to link conceptual knowledge to
op-
ington D.C. have grown to dominate
rely more on part-time and
non-tenure-
erational concerns at the classroom
survey data collection in major educa-
track faculty in an era of retrenchment.
and student levels.
tional issues. For example, consulting
Furthermore, the research
commu-
Third, educational policy researchers
firms are hired to evaluate major reform
nity is under a tremendous amount of
must earn the reputation that the field
initiatives funded by the National Sci-
public pressure to get involved in
is intellectually exciting and method-
ence Foundation.
school reform. At times, research find-
ologically robust.
Second, there is a revolving door
ings are used for political expediency.
These and other renewal efforts
between governmental and research
Even in the absence of reliable research
will lay part of the groundwork for
a new
sectors. The undersecretary in educa-
findings, researchers are pushed to ad-
generation of active education policy
tion, Marshall Smith, for example,
was
vocate for all kinds of changes on a
research.
on the staff of the Office of Education
broader scale. For example, the 1994 Im-
before he became dean of the School of
proving America's Schools Act called
Education at Stanford.
for an expansion of Title I schoolwide
REFERENCES AND RELATED
Third, university -based research-
projects even when there were few
em-
PUBLICATIONS
ers have formed a cross-campus,
pirical evaluations of the
programs.
multistate think tank to develop
a line
Findings on the positive impact of the
Coleman, J. (1987). Educational policy
of research that is often endorsed by
choice program were released during the
for youth and high schools: In B. Bar-
top administrators at the state and dis-
ber (Ed.),
presidential campaign season and were
Effective social science
(pp.
trict levels. The Laboratory for Student
quickly publicized as proof that vouch-
27-44). New York: Russell Sage Foun-
Success at Temple University Center for
ers will improve achievement nation-
dation.
Research in Human Development and
wide. In other words, it is difficult for
Mitchell, D. E., & Boyd, W. L. (1998).
Education is building a knowledge base
researchers to maintain their profes-
Knowledge utilization in educational
onischool reform in several urban dis-
policy and politics: Conceptualizing
sional independence as the public and
tricts as part of its contribution to the
the media devote more attention to
and mapping the domain.
Educa-
legislative debate on the reauthorization
school reform.
tional Administration Quarterly, 34,
of the federal Title I program.
126-140.
The research community, however,
NEXT STEPS
Putnam, R. (1993).
Making democracy
pays a price for its more active policy
work: Civic traditions in modem
role. The manner in which large-scale
In light of these constraints, the
Italy.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton
research is organized has become more
long-term challenge is to sustain com-
Wong, K. (1993). Governance structure,
politicized. The shrinking federal pie in
mitment to policy research in education,
resource allocation, and equity policy.
research funding has fostered a
new
maintain academic vigor in our work, and
Review of Research in Education, 20,
kind of grantsmanship in which
promote a meaningful link between
257-289.
multicampus consortia form program-
conceptualization and operation. What
Wong, K. (1995). The politics of educa-
matic and political alliances to
compete
are some building blocks toward these
tion: From political science to inter-
for resources. The infusion of millions
ends? To begin this discussion,
a few
disciplinary inquiry. In J. D. Scribner
bf,dollars in K- 12 education from
non-
& D. H. Layton (Eds.),
preliminary guiding principles in our
The study of
re-
profit foundations has changed the lo-
newal efforts arc suggested.
educational politics(pp.
21-35). Lon-
cal reform dynamics. Foundations and
First, an educational studies
don: Falmer.
program
their' universi ty-based grantees are in-
in a university setting needs to be fis-
creasingly polarized over various reform
cally autonomous from other colleges
A complete version of the article
on
initiatives, including charter schools,
or divisions to maintain a sustained
which
this Spotlight on Student Success
choice, and standards-based student
faculty commitment to educational
is based can be found
in Educational
assessment. Consequently, strategic,
concerns. At the same time, its
Administration Quarterly,
Vol. 34, No. 1
yet unstable, partnerships are formed
faculty must
programmatically
be
(February, 1998), pp. 141-146.
Spotlight on Student Success
Page 2
Copyright 0 1998 Temple University Center for Research
in Human Development and Education
;II
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