S570: Session 8 The Nexus of Policy, Practice and Research Jal Mehta October 25, 2012

Goals for Today Overall Goals Explore what it means to work at the “nexus” of policy, practice and research Develop your own sense of where you fit with respect to the “nexus” Work in groups to develop your projects in preparation for initial drafts

Deeper Dives What did this article help you understand about the “nexus” between policy, research and practice? What particularly struck you about this reading? What didn’t the author consider that might be important? For sharing out: One question about this reading that you’d be interested in discussing with the class as a whole.

Plan Discussion of preferred reading (10:15 – 10:45) Mini Lecture – A few thoughts on the nexus (10:45 – 11:00) Whole group discussion (11:00 – 11:45) Your work: Responding to each other’s developing ideas (12 – 1)

Mini-Lecture: Conundrums of the Nexus The dream: Research -  policy -  practice The reality: More parallel than intersecting Researchers mostly pursuing disciplinary questions of interest to other scholars Policymakers too distant from schools to know what they need Practitioners do not find either research or policy that helpful

Reversing Common Assumptions We need new models, that reverse these assumptions: Practice -  Research  Policy Research questions should grow out of practice Interstitial institutions should be established that sit between research and practice (SERP, Chicago Consortium, Gates fellows) Policy should flow from needs of practice not dictate them

Challenges and Barriers Notions of status favor the more typical hierarchical model Faculty/grad student incentives are oriented to the academy Professional schools look more to arts and sciences than to the field Universities seen as higher status than schools – opposition to putting them on par with each other No one is responsible for doing work that sits between schools and universities Practitioners are busy; policymakers tend to use research more as “ammunition” than as information (Weaver 1996).

Facilitating Factors People who pay for research mostly do so because they think it should be relevant/useful Deans/administrators at professional schools also have greater desire for relevance New models are emerging (or gaining adherents) that are deliberately seeking to integrate knowledge and action Action research Design based research Networked improvement communities

Questions to Ponder Should the education school be oriented towards the field or towards developing knowledge for knowledge sake? Should we be seeking to develop knowledge that is immediately useful to policymakers or practitioners, or is Weiss right that the more powerful effect of research is over the long run? When you look at your professors, do you see them working at the “nexus” or are they actually more talking to other academics? What kind of model of research do you imagine yourself doing? Are you going to be at the nexus? Why? Why not?

Moving Your Work Forward Move into your groups, and: Take 5 minutes to reflect/jot notes about what you need help with Explain one thing that you are currently struggling with Get feedback Rotate to the next group member Do again if time permits.