The Untested Accusation: Principals, Research Knowledge, and Policy Making in Schools

This book is a report of a systematic study based on interviews with 120 school principals that addresses questions about the utilization of knowledge from social research. It offers evidence that challenges allegations about the "awful reputation" of educational research and its supposed lack of impact. The Untested Accusation: (1) Describes the methods used in the investigation; (2) Provides reviews of related work with social research impact; (3) Defines major terms; (4) Provides a conceptual model for thinking about the problem; (5) Provides both quantitative evidence and verbatim quotes from principals; (6) Compares research knowledge use among public, private, and independent schools in two national contexts: the United States and Australia; and (7) Discusses various strategies that can be used to improve the impact of educational research. Findings from this study details: (1) How principals are exposed to research knowledge and their attitudes concerning its use; (2) The types of research knowledge with which principals are familiar; and (3) Reports of research knowledge use in various schools. A summary of major findings and a discussion of conclusions and their implications are provided. This report concludes that educational research already has considerable impact and that school principals play active roles in converting that knowledge into innovative policies and practices. This book is for teachers, administrators, school board members, and others interested in educational and social research. This book is organized into the following nine chapters: (1) Does Research on Education Have an Impact?; (2) Thinking Out the Problem; (3) A Design for Investigation; (4) Principals' Exposure to Knowledge Sources; (5) Principals' Opinions About Research and Innovation; (6) Research Knowledge That Principals Volunteer; (7) Research Knowledge That Principals Recognize; (8) Principals' Reported Use of Research Knowledge; and (9) Findings, Conclusions, and Implications. The following are appended: (1) Interview Schedule; (2) Interview Schedule Supplement; (3) List A: Types of Information Sources for Technical Knowledge; (4) List B: Examples of Research-Generated Knowledge; (5) Supplementary Questionnaire [American Version]; and (6) Supplementary Questionnaire [Australian Version].