Education policies are increasingly characterized as complex and dynamic, involving a multitude of actors and policy networks. As a result, there is a growing demand in education for research approaches that can help make sense of this complexity. This paper examines the applicability of multi-level governance (MLG) framework as a tool of…

Americans are increasingly divided in their views on higher education, often in alignment with their political affiliations. This study examines how perspectives on one of the most pressing issues in higher education, college affordability, differ across political ideologies. For our analysis, we exploit an original dataset of text appearing on…

This article gives an account of the use of knowledges from emerging scientific fields in education and youth policy making under the Coalition government (2010-15) in the UK. We identify a common process of "translation" and offer three illustrations of policy-making in the UK that utilise diverse knowledges produced in academic fields…

This paper focuses on the role of networks in the policy-making process in education and discusses the potential of network analysis as an analytical tool for education policy research. Drawing on publically available data from personal or institutional websites, this paper reports the findings from research carried out between 2005 and 2011.…

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), like No Child Left Behind before it, requires states to report information on the academic achievement of students in each of their schools, both overall and for various subgroups of students. A subgroup of particular interest to policymakers and researchers is economically disadvantaged students,…

Do charter schools strengthen students' educational experience? What are their social costs? This volume brings together a group of premier researchers to address questions about the purposes of charter schools and the role of public policy in shaping the educational agenda. Chapter authors explore topics seldom encountered in the current charter…

This paper examines the tensions that sometimes arise between educational researchers and policy makers. The recent history of the relationship is described and it is suggested that part of the reason for current disenchantment (on both sides) is that the two groups approach research with different expectations and priorities. Two particular…

The report summarizes evidence from five studies of student achievement in oversubscribed charter schools and two studies on charter school revenues and outlines a number of recommendations relevant to the federal role in charter schools. While many recommendations are reasonable, those related to charter school facilities and charter school…

Diana Wilkinson, Chief Social Researcher with the Scottish Government, assisted National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to facilitate a forum to discuss the development of national research priorities for the vocational education and training sector. This paper summarises Diana Wilkinson's impression of the forum and uses two…

The author asserts that educational research in Britain has historically acted largely to ease implementation of policies already determined on political grounds and that this concern for "obvious relevance" resulted in a severe narrowing of research initiatives. He suggests that educational researchers take a more formative role in…

Proposes a policy framework for analyzing educational research and development supported by the federal government. Five primary elements of the framework are given for analyzing, developing, and implementing research policies for education. (JM)

In order to develop and implement new governmental policies in educational research and development (R&D) which meet the needs of R&D specialists and the concerns of the public, it is important to understand the complexity of the research-development-knowledge utilization cycle and to develop a strategy which serves the public interest but…

This report focuses on published research about performance pay for teachers in Australian schools. This report falls into three main sections. The first provides an overview of current pay arrangements and collective enterprise bargaining agreements for Australian teachers. Within these arrangements, the report gives particular attention to…

In what way has social research helped the nation resolve the issue of school desegregation? The answer seems to be in no way. Considers why this has been the case. (Author/RK)

The author discusses the development, literature, problems, and possibilities of the politics of education in the United States and Australia. Emphasis is placed upon defining boundaries, priorities, and research projects for the field. (DE)