“The best research is complex, and this puts the researcher at a competitive disadvantage, since policymakers and teacher educators prefer results that are definitive and easy to understand.” I agree that the best research is complex! AND… 1/ https://davidlabaree.com/2020/12/07/do-no-harm-reflections-on-the-impact-of-educational-research/

The way academics write for one another, it’s a wonder research EVER makes it into practice. There are notable exceptions, of course, and outlets like @BrookingsEd and @EducationNext where research is summarized in a more policymaker/practitioner-friendly format. 2/

I understand: academics have a lot on their plates, and they’re not going to get tenure for writing an op-ed. Policymakers and educators also have a lot on their plates, and they don’t advance in their careers by reading academic journal articles. 3/

*whispers* we need research brokers.

Anyway, moving on: IMO think tanks are overgeneralized here. Some have clear political leanings; others less so. Caution is certainly warranted when research is from sources with a stake in the outcome. 4/

But there’s an implicit assumption that university-based research is free of political bias or conflicts of interests. That fails to acknowledge that researchers may have preconceived notions about which policy options are most compelling, regardless of where they work. 5/

Researchers are human beings, regardless of where they work. We all have biases. I’ve read articles where university-based researchers are evaluating programs they developed, sometimes using outcome measures they’ve developed. 6/

So I object to the argument that academics are “the only group without a dog in the policy hunt.” Whether research is biased and to what extent is something you’d assess by examining the design, data sources, and methodology, regardless of the source of the research. 7/7