There has been a historic and persistent divide between academia and policy advocacy organizations. Higher education institutions are often criticized by policy advocacy organizations for their ivory tower mentality that does not address relevant policy and practice issues in a timely and practical manner. Policy advocacy organizations are often criticized by academics for not being deeply informed by cutting edge theory and research. This criticism helps maintain the divide between these two types of institutions.
This is partly why Ed Trust has assembled the inaugural national P-12 Research Advisory Council (RAC), which comprises preeminent international scholars and academics from leading universities who conduct groundbreaking, equity-based research. They will serve up to a three-year term.
The RAC will provide insight on the educational landscape to help identify equity-based research and practices that dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the U.S. education system. Their expertise will help Ed Trust continue to work alongside educators, policymakers, and advocates in communities across the country, providing practical assistance in their efforts to transform educational institutions that serve all students well. Conversely, academia will hopefully be positively influenced by seeing how research can and should have a direct and immediate impact to improve policy and practice.
Together, we hope to bridge the divide between academia and policy advocacy in support of Black and Latino students, multilingual students, students from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities.
Dr. Alfredo J. Artiles
Lee L. Jacks Professor of Education, Director of the Research Institute, Stanford Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford University
Dr. Sonya Douglass
Professor and Founding Director of the Black Education Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University
Dr. Michael Feuer
Dean and Professor of Education Policy at The Graduate School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University
Dr. Vivian L. Gadsden
The William T. Carter Professor of Child Development and Education and Faculty Director, Penn Early Childhood and Family Research Center, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Eugene García
Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University, and former U.S. Department of Education Title VII Director
Dr. Ofelia García
Professor Emerita, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York (CUNY)
Dr. Kris D. Gutiérrez
Carol Liu Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean at the Berkeley School of Education, University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Tyrone C. Howard
Professor and Director of the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools at the School of Education & Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings
Professor Emerita and Kellner Family professor of Urban Education at the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. H. Richard Milner IV
Professor of Education and Sociology and Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair of Education at the College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University
Dr. Pedro Reyes
Ashbel Smith Professor of Education Leadership & Policy and Executive Director of the Texas Education Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Dawn G. Williams
Dean and Professor at the School of Education, Howard University