[NLA] Evidence-based practice in Adult Literacy Education]

[George E. Demetrion]

I have no problem with an eclectic methodological approach.  The issue is
the subordination or elimination of certain research traditions and the
privileging of a very restrictive set of methodologies, all in the name
of science.  This approach taken  by the current UDDoE wants to deny that
adult literacy is an aspect of cultural studies which draws deeply on
various disciplines such as socio-linguistics, cultural anthropology,
literary theory, sociology, history, and social philosophy.

Here's something to reflect on. In a recent meeting with the APA
(American Psychological Association, I'm assuming), Dr. Russ Whitehurst,
overseeing the OERI (Office of Educational Research & Improvement)
pointed to the agency's future direction. I'm extracting.  The quotes are
from the document not Whitehurst.

The document is titled APA Meets with Russ Whitehurst, New Assistant
Secretary for the Office of Education Research and Improvement
http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/ewhtehurst1201.html

Statement 1)  "Strengthening the peer review process at OERI by moving
from a broad peer review to one where more 'informed' reviewers are
looking at grant applications."

We're talking about the scientists supervising the educators here. 
Recall this small portion from E.D. Hirsch's 1994 talk to the CA State
Board of Education:

"T]here is evidence and there is evidence, argument and argument.  It is
an uncomfortable thing to say, but the average quality and reliability of
science in the best educational journals is below the quality and
reliability of science in the best mainstream journals."

Can't you just hear Hirsch's echo in Whitehurst's statement?  There's
more:

Statement 2) "The Assistant Secretary called on APA and others to get the
word out that OERI has changed--that it supports research and psychology
research....Dr. Whitehurst said they [OERI] would be interested in
funding pre-docs with a discipline other than education.

Internally, Dr. Whitehurst indicated that of the 320 staff, only 9 are
scientists.  He would like to bring more psychologists and other
scientist to OERI"

How about some cultural anthropologists from Berkeley, Harvard, and
Princeton, are not they also experts?

Statement 3) "Dr. Whitehurst is seeking to make OERI more indpendent of
the Department of Education as well as separate its funding from the
Department."

"In the future, Dr. Whitehurst wants to transform OERI into an agency
similar to the FDA (Federal Drug & Administration).  Private vendors of
education products would come to OERI to have products evaluated and OERI
approval would be necessary for these products and services to be
credible in the marketplace.  Equally, vendors would factor into their
plans at OERII evaluation, similar to FDA approval process.
__________________________________________________________

People will draw whatever inferences they will from these comments (GD).

On Sat, 6 Apr 2002 09:52:17 EST AWilder106 at aol.com writes:
>Colleagues:
>
>While I am on a roll here I might as well add one more notes:
>
>    There may be interaction between types of studies, for example, a 
>case 
>study may lead to a control group/treatment group study.  A control 
>group/treatment group study is not pulled out of thin air, is is built 
>from 
>something else, is probably the product of REFINEMENT of a research 
>question. 
> This is only one example.
>
>    A treatment group/control group study may not be the dry as dust, 
>inhuman 
>methodology that is so often implied, it can be full of the 
>humanitarian 
>values that we on this list seem to uphold.
>
>Andrea
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