Last week, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) hosted Senator Michael Bennet (Colorado), Frederick M. Hess, and others to discuss research and development in K-12 education. Senator Bennet has released a proposal for a new R&D project, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education (ARPA-ED), which was the main focus of the event.
“If we don’t do things differently, our classrooms will look the same in 20 years as they do now,” Senator Bennet warned. He noted that while nearly every other sector in the economy spends 10 to 20 percent of its budget on R&D, only 0.2% of the federal education budget is allocated for this purpose. He believes that the proposed ARPA-ED could be a way to bring districts together with technology strategists, to formulate ways to deliver individualized instruction to students.
Jim Shelton of the US Department of Education made sure to point out how closely the government’s decision to invest in education R&D is tied to America’s competitive advantage. His sentiments were echoed by Ken Gabriel of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), who stressed how important it is for Americans and policymakers to feel a sense of urgency with regard to increased R&D expenditures in education.
However, John Easton of the Institute of Education Sciences cautioned against overpromising. The proposed ARPA-ED should not be “sold” as a silver bullet, but rather should be considered as an important piece in the larger context of education research and reform efforts.
To watch a recording of the full conversation, please visit http://aei.org/events/2012/02/29/senator-bennets-plan-to-turbocharge-education-rd/
