Policy Research

Definitions and Uses of a Key Policy Term in Federal Law and Local School

Robert Asen, Deb Gurke, Ryan Solomon, Pamela Conners, Elsa Gumm

Summary

The authors sought to establish the different uses of traditional research in federal legislation versus local school board meetings. To do thus, the authors attended over 150 school board meetings in three different areas in the State of Wisconsin. Further, the authors comprehensively studied the No Child Left Behind Law, and its definition of research that should guide the implementation of the law. The researchers found that at the Federal level, research was narrowly defined, and that research studies with better methods were thought of more highly based upon their methods. At the local level, the authors identified 6 types of evidence: research, experience, examples, testimony, data, and law/policy. The authors found that research was the 2nd least cited source (in front of Law/Policy), and that it was used much more in combination with experience or examples.

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Policy Implications

The authors finding that local school boards rely much less on research than the Federal government should not be shocking. What may be of more interest to policymakers is the difference between the Federal government and states. However, the difference in the use of research is noteworthy. Local elected officials are much more likely to use personal experiences or examples in combination with research, with research less likely to be used than the Federal government. This empirical & qualitative analysis cements a common narrative regarding politics and research.