Entering the Political Fray: The Role of Public Education Scholars in Media Debates

• In Event: Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Policy Perspectives and the Politics of Leadership

Abstract

We explore the multiple ways in which educational researchers can make their work more accessible to the policymakers, the general public and those most affected by educational decisions such as teachers, parents, students, and community members. Specifically, we use narrative inquiry coupled with media content analysis to examine the work of scholars in education who are engaging in media debates over school reform through such venues as blogs, letters to the editor, critiques of research, published work, newspaper and magazine articles, and expert testimony/media interviews. In particular, we focus on how educational research is represented in public dialogs on education reform in both electronic and print media and the role educational scholars can play in shaping these representations.

Authors

• Cynthia C. Reyes, The University of Vermont

• Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin, The University of Vermont