Fragments: Links between Cognitive Science and Education Policy

266 views · Published 15 April 2014 · 1:10:54 · Indexed 22 October 2026

Channel: GBH Forum Network · 2014 · Education

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Michael J. Feuer of the National Research Council presents the second in a series of lectures on links between cognitive science and education policy. This lecture focuses on sources of complexity in the American school system and implications for the design of rational models of education policy.

Feuer emphasizes the intended and unintended effects of the fragmented system of school governance that exists in the US, the limitations this imposes on the use of existing measurement tools to gauge individual and institutional progress, and the problems that arise from accountability systems that inadvertently create incentives for opportunistic behavior among students, teachers, and school authorities.

Given these constraints, Feuer argues for a new approach to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of alternative governance models, defining rational goals for education policy, and setting reasonable expectations for improvement.

Michael J. Feuer is Executive Director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Research Council of the National Academies.

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