The Media and Educational Research: What We Know vs. What the Public Hears
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Recent coverage of the Manhattan Institute's report on Florida's A-Plus voucher program ignored subsequent, peer-reviewed articles questioning the original report's conclusions. Moreover, a brief survey of journals and organizations found that while journals subject research to peer review, several high-profile organizations do not, yet they employ sophisticated strategies to win media attention. The absence of consistent peer review in widely reported education research may subvert sound policy by promoting priorities not founded on solid social science research.