Research Use in the Era of Scientifically Based Research

["Dan Laitsch" <dlaitsch@ascd.org>]

Hi all,
This is just a brief announcement about a joint ASCD and AERA SIG on Research Use sponsored breakfast pre-session at this year's AERA annual meeting in San Diego. If you'd like to attend this pre-session, please let me know so that I can make sure there's enough room capacity and food. If you'd like to let your colleagues know about the session, you can download a flier from the SIGRU Web site: http://www.sigru.org/meetings/presession.pdf. 

See you in San Diego!

Dan


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Research Use in the Era of Scientifically Based Research
Special Interest Group on Research Use Breakfast Pre-session
AERA Annual Meeting 2004
San Diego, CA
Monday, April 12, 2004
8:15 AM - 10:15 AM Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel: Annie Room, Section A

In 2002, two pieces of federal legislation were enacted to, in part, raise the profile and perceived quality of education research:
* Through No Child Left Behind, legislators wrote into law a definition of "scientifically based research," which includes a heavy emphasis on experimental randomized methodologies. 
* The What Works Clearinghouse was established through the Institute for Education Sciences to apply scientifically based research requirements in the development of "standards for reviewing and synthesizing educational research...[to produce] Evidence Reports on the effectiveness of educational interventions and test instruments."

Recently, scientists and researchers have begun to question whether such mandates may create a system that encourages the manipulation of research findings, methodologies, and dissemination as activists attempt to control policy debates. This session will examine these issues, and ask specifically:
* How do SBR requirements impact the work of researchers, and the application of research?
* What are the key policy issues in this discussion?
* Does this debate necessarily pit the scientific community against the federal government?
* What should SIGRU, and SIGRU members do in response to the issues raised in this session?

Session Chair:
Jason Adsit, Assistant Professor, Baldwin Wallace College and Program Chair of SIGRU.

Presenters:
Rebecca Herman, Principal Scientist, American Institutes for Research and AIR's Project Director for the What Works Clearinghouse
Dan Laitsch, Senior Policy Analyst, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Chair of SIGRU.

Discussant:
Gerald Srouffe, Senior Advisor and Director of Government Relations for the American Educational Research Association (tentative).

The session, cosponsored by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, will include a light breakfast to help participants kick-off the week's activities. Registration, payable at the door, is $10 for SIGRU members, and $15 for non-members (the fee for non-members includes a one year membership in SIGRU). If you plan to join us, please let us know through our contact form (http://www.sigru.org/contact.htm), via e-mail to the SIGRU chair (chair@sigru.org), or via reply to this message.



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Dan Laitsch, Ph.D.
Senior Policy Analyst
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
http://www.ascd.org
Chair
Special Interest Group on Research Use
American Educational Research Association
http://www.sigru.org