Engaging in Advocacy and Affecting Public Policy

This chapter discusses publishing as a way to advocate for students and engage in public policy. It begins with a brief discussion of why advocacy and public policy are important considerations for educational scholars to embrace. The chapter reviews several recommendations for increasing the probability that scholarship has an influence on public policy. It presents case studies showcasing how scholarship influenced policy. There are several reasons why educational researchers should be concerned with advocacy and public policy. First, educational research can provide answers to questions that are important far beyond the boundaries of individual laboratories. Second, beyond wanting research findings to be used, it can be argued that researchers have an ethical responsibility to advocate and lobby. S. G. Gabel and S. B. Kamerman argued that there are five steps involved in the type of writing for advocacy and public policy: knowing the audience, defining the problem, marshaling evidence, proposing policy solutions, and making recommendations.