Educational Research, the National Agenda, and Educational Reform

A volume in Studies in the History of Education
Series Editor Karen L. Riley, Auburn University at Montgomery
Educational Research, The National Agenda, and Educational Reform examines the origins, history, nature,
purposes, and status of educational research by focusing on the relationships among educational research, the
national agenda, educational reform, and the social and behavioral sciences. Its major claim is that the history
of educational research is embedded in the nation's social, political, intellectual, and economic histories.
Attention is given to three significant periods: the Progressive Era when modern educational research began to
assume its present form; the Post-World-War-II-Era when educators and educational researchers were directed
to return to or turn to the academic disciplines; and the Civil Rights Era after the Supreme Court in Brown
ended legal racial segregation and raised questions about equality of educational opportunity that are still with
us. These were significant periods when there was a clear national agenda shaped by both public and private
agencies. Educators and educational researchers adopted policies and strategies in response to concerns and
interests expressed by the public, by government officials, and by philanthropies. Researchers' responses have had long-term consequences as seen in
the reaction to The Coleman Report, debates about the merits of quantitative research as opposed to qualitative research, the ongoing discussion about
the merits of No Child Left Behind, the achievement gap, the creation of the Institute of Education Sciences, and the emphasis now placed on
"scientifically-based research."
The origins of the common school, the work of the philosopher Johann Friedrich Herbart and his followers, and the revolution in scientific method
brought about by Charles Darwin's work are included because they serve as the foundation for educational research. Educational researchers'
identification with and interest in individual performance and ability and their measurement is related to the close relationship educational researchers
have had with psychology, a discipline that typically does not focus on social context. The significance of educational researchers' borrowing from the
behavioral sciences, especially psychology, is examined through a discussion of the mental hygiene movement, as supported by private philanthropy,
and through consideration of contributors such as G. Stanley Hall, Arnold Gesell, Lewis M. Terman, Daniel Starch, and Stuart A. Courtis.