Taking another look at “evidence-based” research

With political change coming soon to the nation’s capital, policymakers and national groups are trying to divine what the shifts might mean for the U.S. Department of Education’s long-running, and sometimes controversial, campaign to transform education into an “evidence based” field.

One sign that changes may be afoot is the proliferation of proposals to revise the way the federal government defines scientifically based research in education. The No Child Left Behind Act definition emphasizes randomized experiments over other kinds of research, prompting some critics to complain that it promotes too narrow a view of education scholarship.

However, an Education Department official who spoke at a recent forum on the topic cautioned against going too far in loosening up federal research standards. He said such a step could leave educators to choose programs and products on the basis of fad and anecdote, rather than solid research. Read the article in Education Week online.