Legislative Education Staff Network

Linking Research and Policy to Support Effective Teaching: A Seminar for Legislative Education Staff

Arizona Biltmore
Phoenix, AZ
November 30 - December 2, 2007

Sessions Overview Presentations and Handouts

Using Research to Inform Policy:
Strategies for Legislative Education Staff
Session Notes

Strategies to stay current on education policy research:

Networking
ECS EClips/EConnection/Clearinghouse
Print Media
Staff Resources/Peer Critiques
State departments/universities
LESN listserv
Regional Education Laboratories
Center for Analysis…cauldercenter.org
Divide info among staff - each researchers topic and then puts summary on shared driver so others can pull it up
Graduate fellows/intern help - annotated bibliographies (Kentucky)
Google searches
Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE)
Ed Week
U.S. DOE - Library of Congress
ERIC
Texas State University - issues relating to school safety
IES - email update service
What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)
Education Finance Resource Consortium (NY) - designs symposiums around hot issues
NCES - Annotated bibliographies on all reports

To what extent do you use research to inform policy work?

Policy precedes research - find research to support policy, find research to match what they want, quick turn around
Legislative task forces; legislatively directed studies by staff or consultants; staff issue papers (both sides of issues); presentations to legislative committees
Compile research on topics that interest you, find ways to work it in where possible
Review relevant research as a starting point for answering questions
Present balanced/range of research
Define questions
Background information for bills, analysis and policy
Look at studies to examine methodology
Evaluation for continued funding
Get up to speed generally

Obstacles in increasing use of research:

Time
Objectivity
Requests for comparisons rather than research on the effectiveness of a particular policy
Realize that sometimes logic loses and go to happy hour. There's always tomorrow
Preconceived policymaker notions
Finding good data
Particular role - are you able to pitch ideas or reactionary to member demands?
Support already - formed opinion
Topics too broad
Understanding what is a legitimate request for information
Confidentiality
Quickly determining the slant to the research/information (peruse website, ask other staff if they know anything about the group/research)
Short time frame for completion (try to get the member to narrow focus)