Using Research Right By Deb Gurke, Robert Asen, Pam Conners,
Ryan Solomon, and Elsa Gumm Evidence-based research about
education policy, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act,
is rooted in the social sciences. With this definition, federal
policymakers work under the assumption that research operates
outside of politics, offering instead a value-neutral solution
to pressing social problems. School board members, however,
operate in the political world. As elected representatives, they
know it’s risky to ignore the community’s values, concerns, and
desires. As federal and state mandates have increased, they also
know the values that undergird these policies don’t always
connect with the community’s desires, and there’s no guarantee
that these conflicts can be resolved through the use of
research. Despite these difficulties, school board members can
develop a more complex understanding of when and how to use
research in ways that can enhance their decision-making. The
Research on Educational Deliberatio