When you read a newspaper or magazine article about the latest education research, there is a good chance you’ll find a quote from a critic pooh-poohing the findings.

That’s part of the journalistic tradition of telling both sides of a story. But it also has the unintended effect of raising doubts about the credibility of education research in general: If every study published comes under criticism -- or is contradicted by other research -- what can you believe?

That question is particularly relevant today when special interest groups seek to sway public opinion by publishing their own reports and studies designed to sell a political perspective -- and seek to discredit research that contradicts their ideological beliefs.

But fear not. My November cover story, “Politics and Research,” takes a look at the deluge of reports and studies being published today -- and at whether that research is credible or simply a political tool designed to sway policymakers.

All in all, the news is good. Education research is improving in quality and relevance to education policymakers. And finding this quality research isn’t all that hard if, as Arthur Levine, former president of Columbia University’s Teachers College, advises, you become “a better consumer of what’s out there.”

If you read the story online (www.asbj.com/MainMenuCategory/Archive/2007/November/PoliticsandResearch.aspx), you’ll also find tips on how to become that better consumer, as well as an article on how the media reports on research—and how the profession of journalism is trying to do a better job in telling you what you need to know.

Del Stover, Senior Editor