May 2006, Vol. 37, Issue 3
Research Commentary: Pressures to Improve Student Performance: A Context That Both Urges and Impedes School-Based Research
Kathryn B. Chval, Robert Reys, Barbara J. Reys, James E. Tarr, Oscar Chavez
The No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) elevates the importance of educational
research and thereby provides opportunities for mathematics education
researchers in its support for and funding of rigorous research studies and
its requirement of effective,
research-based practices. At the same time, by demanding more of overburdened
teachers and administrators, NCLB may exacerbate a long-standing gulf between educational research and
practice. We use our recent experiences with conducting school-based research
to illustrate how educational research can be impeded by the added demands of NCLB and other factors in the current
climate. In addition, we hope to begin a dialogue that will encourage
researchers and practitioners to work together to capitalize on NCLB's
increased emphasis on educational research to create a systematic approach to
bridging the research-practice gulf.
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