In this 2011 essay by Anthony Bryk, Louis Gomez, and Alicia Grunow, the authors argue that the social organization of the research enterprise is badly broken and a very different alternative is needed. They instead support a science of improvement research and introduce the idea of a networked improvement community that creates the purposeful collective action needed to solve complex educational problems.
The essay argues that complex problems of practice improvement demand that a diverse mix of skills be brought to bear, and that when and how that expertise is engaged in problem solving requires reconsideration. It calls for new arrangements for disciplined inquiry where the work of research and practice join in a more dynamic and interactive fashion.
This piece builds off an earlier essay by Bryk and Gomez, “Ruminations on Reinventing an R&D Capacity for Educational Improvement,” prepared for a 2007 American Enterprise Institute Conference.
Related Resources
Ruminations on Reinventing an R&D Capacity for Educational Improvement
Improvement in Education: So Now What?
