Efforts to improve the production and use of research evidence have made great strides over the past 15 years. However, the potential for evidence to inform educational improvement is still largely untapped. In a chapter on Democratizing Evidence in Education co-written by Vivian Tseng, Steve Fleischman, and Esther Quintero points to the profound and urgent need to align our evidence production and use efforts with democratic principles. The authors argue that doing so will help evidence-informed decision-making be more inclusive of the diversity of education stakeholders—and more responsive to the challenges facing students, educators, families, and communities.
Inspired by the ideas in Democratizing Evidence in Education, the William T. Grant Foundation convened stakeholder meetings in 2017 to explore strategies and opportunities. To support this effort, volunteer-led working groups were formed to develop a vision, guiding principles, and implementation strategies. This website contains the product of the volunteers’ work. In keeping with the spirit of the organic way in which the current implementation strategies were developed, we invite additional stakeholder groups to develop implementation strategies as well as practical tools for spreading and sustaining this effort. The volunteers who have been actively involved in the drafting of the implementation strategies include:
Ilene Berman, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Eva Boster Kohlmoos, East End Prep, Nashville, Tennessee
Tracey Brown, Sense about Science
Steve Fleischman, Independent Consultant
Eve Goldberg, Nellie Mae Education Foundation
Ben Kirshner, CU Engage, University of Colorado Boulder
Jim Kohlmoos, EDGE Consulting
Bethany Little, Education Counsel
Bryan Mascio
Esther Quintero, Albert Shanker Institute
Kim Robinson, The Forum for Youth Investment
Sujie Shin, California Collaborative of Educational Excellence
Vivian Tseng, William T. Grant Foundation