Teacher Education, Pro-Market Policy and Advocacy Research

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Abstract
Across a wide variety of fields, research has long been promoted as a useful tool in helping policy-makers devise and enact policy. In the United States, the recently enacted federal No Child Left Behind Act specifically requires the use of high-quality research in education policy-making. In this rush to emphasize research, policy-makers have over-looked a number of important considerations, including issues related to research methodologies and structures (qualitative versus quantitative, descriptive versus analytic, etc.), and ethical issues around the use, design, and funding of research studies. Policies justified by research funded, conducted and published by pro-market advocates who bypass traditionally accepted norms for completing and applying research is of particular concern. The present paper examines these three critical issues, as well as their impact on teacher education and teacher educators. Additionally, the larger role of pro-market advocacy organizations is examined, as well as the response, or lack thereof, by the education establishment. Teacher educators must actively and effectively engage in this debate if they wish to retain control of their profession and continue to promote policy based on ethically sound and methodologically appropriate research conducted in the public interest.

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