|
| Arranging Contingencies to Support Important and Useful Research in Education |
| Tuesday, May 31, 2005 |
| 10:30 AM–11:20 AM |
| Williford C (3rd floor) |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Daniel E. Hursh, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Daniel E. Hursh (West Virginia University) |
| GROVER J. WHITEHURST (Institute of Education Sciences, DOE) |
 Grover J. (Russ) Whitehurst was appointed by President George W. Bush as the first Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, established within the U.S. Department of Education by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002. The Institute conducts, supports and disseminates research on education practices that improve academic achievement, statistics on the condition of education in the United States, and evaluations of the effectiveness of federal and other education programs.
Whitehurst previously served as assistant secretary for the office of educational research and improvement. In that role he established the What Works Clearinghouse, initiated new programs of research such as those in reading comprehension and preschool curriculum, upgraded the rigor of scientific peer review and promoted the use of scientific evidence throughout the Department.
Just prior to beginning federal service, he was Leading Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics and Chairman of the Department of Psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Born and reared in Washington, North Carolina Whitehurst received his undergraduate degree at East Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in experimental child psychology in 1970 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is married with two children. |
| Abstract: Education policy and practice are not grounded in evidence. Instead, personal experience, ideology, and social consensus are frequently relied on, and the research base is inadequate and little used. The Institute of Education Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education was established by Congress in 2002 to strengthen research on education, and to disseminate reliable research findings to education practitioners, policy makers, and the general public. This requires transforming education into an evidence-based field. What are the systems that support current behavior? What is the design of a system that would produce wide and deep behavior change among the producers and consumers of education research? How should that system be implemented? This presentation addresses these questions and describes what the Institute is doing to enhance the supply of rigorous and relevant research, to increase demand for that research, and to provide tools that make research findings accessible and useable. |
|
| |