Social Science Research Council

This program is an initiative launched by the SSRC and the National Academy of Education (supported in its planning stage by the Spencer Foundation). Its purpose is to study the field of education research as it is generated and practiced in the United States. The program's investigation consists of three principle components: (1) an examination of the social organization of research on education, (2) an assessment of the scholarly quality and intellectual impact of education research, and (3) an analysis of the politics of research on education, including the degree to which it informs educational policy making. We define “education research” quite broadly, to include a wide range of scholarship dealing with educational processes both inside and outside of formally organized schools. Contingent to some degree on funding, international comparisons will be part of the program's agenda.