Building Evidence for Policy Through Research Partnerships in Education

EDU S532 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

This course prepares students to use rigorous empirical evidence to inform education policy. Students will learn to read quantitative research carefully, interpret coefficients and research designs, distinguish descriptive patterns from causal claims, and translate findings for practitioners, policymakers, and the public.

The course is organized around research-practice partnerships in education. Each module pairs a policy problem with an empirical approach: descriptive diagnosis in a K-12 setting, regression discontinuity in early childhood education, and a randomized trial in open-access higher education. Across the cases, students examine both the evidence and the partnership work that made it possible, including data access, privacy, implementation, trust, and communication.

What you will do:
Complete a midterm and final exam focused on interpreting empirical research
Complete short individual assignments translating technical findings into accessible language
Work in a team on one research partnership case, preparing a setting profile, research brief, or practitioner-facing debrief
Engage with visiting researchers and practitioners from education research partnerships

Topics covered:
Descriptive diagnosis using public and administrative data; careful causal language; regression discontinuity; randomized trials; interpreting coefficients, tables, and figures; identifying assumptions and threats to validity; data access, FERPA, IRB, and implementation constraints; communicating research for policy and practice.

Who should take this course?
Students who want to use rigorous evidence to inform education policy
Students interested in research-practice partnerships, applied research, policy analysis, or program evaluation
Students preparing for roles in districts, state agencies, colleges, nonprofits, foundations, research organizations, or policy offices
Students who have completed S-040 or S-052, or who have equivalent preparation in statistics and regression

Note for EPA students: This course is more advanced and methods-focused than EPA 101. It is best suited for students who already have some quantitative background and want to apply that training to real education policy problems.