So what’s a policy maker and eminence grise like Andrew Adonis (UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools) doing at a conference for researchers? Is it a case of a politician really engaging with the evidence?

The good news is that he knows what a longitudinal study is. He cites nine government funded studies of that ilk in his speech and tells us that one of them, Early Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE), is to be extended to follow children up to 14 years.

The bad news he brings – well, old news really – is that while research is one factor that influences policy decisions, it isn’t always the most significant. A wide range of others come into play: financial considerations, opinion polls – even what a minister’s child talks about back home in the kitchen after school. (and don’t we know it!)

The sensible consensus is that for research to play more of a role it needs to be more rigorous. Longitudinal studies go a long way, but they can’t tease out issues of causality. Alas there’s not been any mention of the magic words ‘randomised controlled trial’ (RCT) in any of the opening addresses. Later maybe…

Prof. Pring offers Popper
The special interest group (SIG) ‘Educational Research and Policy: Epistemological considerations turns out to be an interesting one. ‘Epistemology’ refers to the methods, validity and sources of knowledge, in this case to how educational research may influence policy.

Richard Pring from the University of Oxford goes for the philosophical jugular. He says he’s sceptical about the US ‘What Works clearing house’, and he cautions us against the McKenzian view that “what is real can be measured, and what is measured can be controlled”. He also quotes Karl Popper: evidence doesn’t equal proof, only support, a