| Session Title: Research or Evaluation? Responding to Federal Education Research Requests for Proposals |
| Think Tank Session 328 to be held in Room 104 in the Convention Center on Thursday, Nov 6, 1:40 PM to 3:10 PM |
| Sponsored by the AEA Conference Committee |
| Presenter(s): |
| Polly Hubbard, Technical Education Research Centers, polly_hubbard@terc.edu |
| Discussant(s): |
| James Hammerman, TERC, jim_hammerman@terc.edu |
| Karen Mutch-Jones, TERC, karen_mutch-jones@terc.edu |
| Abstract: Is determining effectiveness a research or evaluation task in a research proposal? Federally funded education research from the National Science Foundation (NSF) requires external evaluation as part of all submitted proposals. However it is often difficult to identify where the boundaries between research and evaluation lie at the proposal stage. Researchers and external evaluators often find themselves focusing on the same ground: What's working? In what ways? Under what circumstances or for whom does it work? How do we know? What role can the summative evaluator carve out for herself in research projects that are mostly evaluative? Should that role change across the time span of the proposal? This Think Tank will explore the role(s) of external summative evaluators in well-funded Federal research proposals. Our session will surface practical insights to help evaluators develop stronger summative evaluation descriptions for proposals and inform the development of future federal RFPs. |