Essay Undergraduate 606 words

Research-Based Practice vs. Educational Fads in Schools

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Abstract

This paper examines the tension between empirical research and ideology-driven educational policy in American public schools. Drawing on Grossen's critique of the professional support system — which includes university teacher training programs, educational consultants, and national curricular organizations — the paper argues that most widely adopted teaching methods lack adequate scientific support. It outlines the Ellis and Fout three-part research classification system, illustrates how policymakers routinely skip from theory to policy without empirical validation, and identifies specific popular methods that lack level-two or level-three research backing. The paper concludes by highlighting Project Follow Through as a rare example of large-scale empirical validation.

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What makes this paper effective

Clearly frames a central argument — that educational policy is driven by ideology rather than empirical evidence — and sustains it throughout.
Uses the Ellis and Fout three-level research classification system as a concrete analytical framework, giving structure to the critique.
Provides specific, named examples (Piaget, Gardner's multiple intelligences, whole language) to ground abstract claims about unproven teaching methods.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates effective use of a single authoritative source as an anchor for a policy critique. By consistently returning to Grossen's framework, the writer builds a coherent argument without overstretching the available evidence. The contrast between the paper's framing of "fad vs. evidence" is reinforced through the concluding example of Project Follow Through, which functions as a counter-case that validates the central claim.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens by defining the professional support system and its disconnect from empirical research. It then introduces the three-level research hierarchy as an evaluative tool, followed by criticism of how policymakers misapply that hierarchy. The penultimate section lists specific discredited methods, and the conclusion pivots to a positive example — direct instruction — to show what research-backed practice looks like. The structure moves from problem definition to framework to application to conclusion.

Introduction: Research and Educational Decision-Making

Research "plays an extraordinarily weak role in educational decision-making," according to Grossen (nd). The university teacher training programs, educational consultants, researchers, and national curricular organizations comprise a professional support system that governs American public schools. Unfortunately, the educational practices this professional support system advocates are based on theory rather than practice, and on ideology rather than empiricism. In fact, the professional support system sometimes disputes the validity of scientific research when crafting educational policy (Grossen, nd). The so-called research upon which much educational policy rests is not grounded in empirical findings but in opinions rooted in popular theory.

The Professional Support System and Educational Fads

The professional support system creates educational fads based on spurious evidence. Students, teachers, district officials, and school administrators are largely powerless in the face of this system. State departments of education act as intermediaries between the large-scale professional support system and local schools. Grossen (nd) argues that scientific research — not fad — should govern educational practice. Evidence, not opinion, should form the shared knowledge base from which schools construct their curriculum and instructional methods.

The Ellis and Fout Research Classification System

Grossen outlines the Ellis and Fout three-part classification system for describing educational research. The first level, basic research, consists of known correlations and the theories derived from them; most current educational policy is based on this level. The second level involves researchers testing theories on a small scale with small population samples, allowing them to determine whether larger-scale empirical designs are warranted. The third level consists of large-scale program evaluations tested across whole schools and regions.

3 Locked Sections · 285 words remaining

Skipping Empirical Validation: From Theory to Policy · 105 words

"Policymakers bypass empirical levels, jump to policy"

Popular Teaching Methods Without Empirical Support · 120 words

"Named methods lack level-two or level-three backing"

Project Follow Through and Direct Instruction · 60 words

"Rare large-scale study validates direct instruction"

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Key Concepts in This Paper

Empirical Research Educational Fads Direct Instruction Professional Support System Research Classification Project Follow Through Policy Making Multiple Intelligences Whole Language Gatekeeping