DDP 705. Haiyan Hua and Conrad Wesley Snyder, Jr. "Research, Reform, and Reflection: The Three R's of Educational Policy Analysis." June 1999. 35 pp.

Research, reform, and reflection are the constellation of actions that characterize a dynamic organization. In rudimentary form, they monitor status, maintain or retain the status quo, and engender increased compliance to existing objectives. The organization adapts to changes but does not develop, and the policies languish. When research, reform, and reflection function at a higher level, beyond providing feedback within the current boundaries of operation, they contribute to continued development and increased capacity. Support for an effective policy environment comes from research that connects to action, reform that responds to demand and is enriched by change information, and reflection that explicates methodological assumptions and creates substantive dialogue. For policy analysis, we propose analytic frameworks at the macro argumentation level and the empirical methodology level, plus a perspective on strange loops. When policies emerge or evolve from such active and open scrutiny, the possibilities for the creative management of complexity expand.

JEL Classification: I20

Keywords: EMIS, educational reform, educational policy, policy analysis, learning organizations

Haiyan Hua is a Ph.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he specialized in educational planning and policy analysis. He is currently Development Associate of the Harvard Institute for International Development.

Wes Snyder is a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in measurement, evaluation, and techniques of experimental research. He is Research Professor in Education at the University of Montana and Faculty Associate of the Harvard Institute for International Development. See HIID Development Discussion Paper No. 690 (March, 1999) for more work in this area.