ABSTRACT
What type of knowledge does society value and how does it infl uence the ways research informs social issues and policy designs? For over a decade, social scientists and policymakers have debated strategies to improve the utility of research for public policy (Eisenhart & Towne, 2003; Manna & Petrilli, 2008). Discussions have largely focused on establishing uniform criteria to conduct research and supporting large-scale studies to produce generalizable knowledge. Quantitative researchers, as a result, have refi ned methods to understand and predict social phenomena. Randomized controlled trials have become the most preferred and prestigious research method (Mosteller & Boruch, 2002). Motivated to inform the policy process, researchers have planned studies to maximize policy relevance and actionable fi ndings. Th e result is that quantitative researchers have garnered the largest portion of federal, state, and foundation grants as reformers have sought explanations to pressing policy issues.
