Bridging the Gap Between Research and Policy: Fostering Advocacy and Policy Engagement in Special Education Doctoral Students uri icon

abstract

  • For decades, policy scholars have noted a disconnect between educational expertise, research, and policy-making, undermining the potential for coherent and effective policy development and implementation of reform initiatives. To help leverage the use of scholarship in the policy-making process, we argue that the scholarly community must refocus its efforts and adopt multiple strategies for ensuring engagement with policy-making, including strategies implemented during doctoral training. This article presents results of an exploratory mixed-methods study conducted to assess the effectiveness of a doctoral student professional development opportunity referred to as the Short Course, established to introduce special education doctoral students to the policy-making process through an applied experience in Washington, D.C. Survey data gathered over 3 years from participants and sponsoring faculty suggest the potential for this type of an approach to increase advocacy and policy engagement among future special education researchers, faculty, and leaders.

published proceedings

  • Journal of Disability Policy Studies

author list (cited authors)

  • Nagro, S. A., Shepherd, K. G., Knackstedt, K., West, J. E., & Nagy, S.

complete list of authors

  • Nagro, Sarah A||Shepherd, Katharine G||Knackstedt, Kimberly||West, Jane E||Nagy, Steven

publication date

  • March 2020