Communicating About Research: Making Your Work Meaningful for Education Policy and Practice

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

Chelsea Farley, Director of Communications at the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, and Bronwyn McDaniel, Director of Outreach and Communication at the UChicago Consortium on School Research, will co-lead a three-hour workshop, which will address the question, “How can I communicate the results of my research in ways that maximize their impact on education policy and practice?” This will be a hands-on session designed to help participants identify key audiences, learn about relevant communications strategies and techniques, and develop clear, compelling messages about their work. Participants will be asked to submit, ahead of time, a one- or two-paragraph summary of one of their own projects, including a brief description of the project’s rationale, major findings and implications. These summaries will inform the design of a highly interactive session that features a combination of large- and small-group work, individual practice, and one-on-one guidance and feedback. Participants will leave the workshop with a set of draft talking points for their project—targeted to policymakers and media—as well as several resources developed by the workshop’s facilitators to help researchers hone their communications goals and strategies.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research Use

Chairs

• Chelsea Farley, Research Alliance for New York City Schools

• Bronwyn McDaniel, University of Chicago