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SPSSI Policy News RSS Feed - March 29, 2010


By Christopher Woodside

 

A Conversation on Education Reform: 
Standing at the Intersection of Science and Policy
 
  
 
Recap: On Wednesday, March 24, 2010, SPSSI hosted a Capitol Hill event entitled “A Conversation on Education Reform: Standing at the Intersection of Science and Policy,” that brought together psychologists and advocates interested in education reform issues while highlighting some fascinating new work being conducted on both fronts. SPSSI Policy Coordinator Chris Woodside and James Marshall Scholar Jutta Tobias facilitated. 
 
With the Obama administration continuing to signal that it will make education reform a priority in 2010 (most likely after health care wraps), and with the U.S. Department of Education and Congress gearing up for the challenge, this was a highly opportune moment for those working on related policy efforts and researching the processes behind them to speak publically about recent developments in their respective issue areas.
 
SPSSI’s education discussion was a successful morning of fascinating dialogue and capacity building exchanges. In addition to providing our members with the opportunity to present some of their new research to the education advocacy community (helping to enhance our overall collective policy profile as an important scientific research resource), SPSSI also afforded our panelists the chance to exchange ideas and perspectives in a setting designed to encourage the application of scientific fact to policy development. We feel that the event succeeded very well in achieving the stated goals.
 
Invited guest speakers at this discussion and their topics of conversation included the following: Oliver Moles, Research Analyst, formerly of the U.S. Department of Education: “Studies of Federal Education Programs and Families: 2000-2008”; Betty Demarest, Senior Research Associate, National Education Association: “Why Capacity-Building Should Be a Top Priority of Federal Education Policy”; Julie Carvalho, Professor of Psychology, NOVA: “Education Values and Educational Choices”; Mary Jo Greil, Co-founder, Imagine Memphis: “Practitioner experience in school reform at a Memphis high school using positive psychology and appreciative inquiry”; Carl Kallgren, Associate Professor of Psychology, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College: “A Paradigm Shift: Drop Out and Truancy Prevention”; Gary Ratner, Founder and Executive Director, Citizens for Effective Schools: “What’s Required: A Paradigm Shift in School Reform, from ‘Tests and Sanctions’ to ‘Helping Schools Improve.”
 
*Pictures coming soon!!
 

 

 

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