Policymaker's Primer on Education Research

Author: Patricia A. Lauer, Mid-continent Research For Education And Learning
Publisher: Education Commission of the States
Publication Date: 2004, February
Full text available online at: http://www.ecs.org/html/educationIssues/Research/primer/foreword.asp

Brief Description

The goal of this Policymaker's Primer on Education Research is to help policymakers and administrators answer three big questions:
1. What does the research say?
2. Is the research trustworthy?
3. How can the research be used to guide policy?

Answering these questions will help policymakers and administrators:
· Make evidenced-based decisions about education policies
· Gain a better understanding of research methods
· Become more informed consumers of research

One particularly useful component of the primer is an online assessment guide that can be used to score the usefulness of a research report in developing policy, available at A Policy's Makers Primer on Education Research .