Public Scholarship on the Witness Stand: The Impact of Research and Expert Testimony in Educational Reform Litigation

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

The thoughtful and methodical process of educational research could not be more different from the hurly-burly of the courtroom. Yet, many scholars have used the expert witness stand to shape the outcomes of landmark legal cases (think the Grutter v. Bollinger affirmative action case), and work with advocates to effect important policy change through the courts. Members of the academic and legal community will examine the challenges, risks, and significant opportunities of public scholarship on the witness stand. They will provide candid insights about the uncomfortable contentious process of moving scholarship through the judiciary. They discuss the tensions in navigating burden-of-proof standards, explaining and interpreting complex research, and diving into the adversarial process and the surrounding public arena.

Sub Unit

• AERA Presidential Session

Chair

• Bill Koski, Stanford University

Participants

• Eric A. Hanushek, Stanford University

• Bruce D. Baker, Rutgers University

• Patricia C. Gándara, University of California - Los Angeles

• Kathleen Gebhardt, Children's Voices

• Marisa Bono, Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund