What happened to ‘scientifically based’ research in ed policy?
Scientifically based research. It’s one of those phrases thrown around a lot in the education reform debate, but what it actually means is anybody’s guess. Here’s a piece on the subject by P.L. Thomas, an associate professor of education at Furman University in South Carolina. He edited the 2013 book “Becoming and Being a Teacher,” and wrote the 2012 book, “Ignoring Poverty in the U.S.: The Corporate Takeover of Public Education.” This was published on Alternet.com.By P.L. Thomas
The federal education legislation popularly known as No Child Left Behind made a number of ambitious promises, such as closing the achievement gap, while lamenting the failed state of public education in the United States. One of the most repeated requirements in NCLB to address this is the call for scientifically based research.
In a 2004 policy report for Pearson, Sasha Zucker notes, “A significant aspect of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is the use of the phrase ‘scientifically based research’ well over 100 times throughout the text of the law.”
Zucker acknowledges that the phrase itself sparked debate about what counts as