Educational Research The National Agenda And Educational Reform

Provides an in depth overview of the history and nature of educational research by focusing on the relationship between educational research and the national agenda in the United States in the twentieth century with implications for the twenty-first century. Educational Research, The National Agenda, and Educational Reform: A History provides an in depth overview of the history and nature of educational research by focusing on the relationship between educational research and the national agenda in the United States in the twentieth century with implications for the twenty-first century.

Attention is paid to three significant periods: the Progressive Era when modern educational research came into being; the post World War II era when the emphasis turned to academic disciplines at all levels of public education; and the Civil Rights era after the Supreme Court Brown decision in 1954, which ended legal segregation and raised questions of equity and opportunity.

These were significant periods when there was a clear national agenda shaped by both public and private initiatives. Public education and hence educational researchers shifted policies and strategies in response to these pressures. It is argued that these developments had long-term consequences and are implicated in current reform controversies such as the No Child Left Behind legislation of 2002 that attempted to direct how educational research would be conducted.

This work is the only attempt to provide a history of educational research as embedded in the social and political history of the United States. Other works on educational research divorce research from the context that shapes its agenda. Most works focus on methods and application. The approach in this work is closer to studies in the philosophy of science and social science applied to educational research in the context of political and social events in the twentieth century.

The intended audience includes scholars and students in the history, sociology, and philosophy of education as well as individuals interested in the social history of the United States with implications for Canadian and European practices. It also informs policy makers, government researchers, and social analysts.