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The Forum on the Future of Public Education

The Forum on the Future of Public Education strives to bring the best empirical evidence to policymakers and the public.

The Forum draws on a network of premier scholars to create, interpret, and disseminate credible information on key questions facing P-20 education. The Forum pursues original research and facilitates collaboration between researchers and policymakers to examine the pressing issues shaping the future of public education. Key constituencies of the Forum include scholars who influence research, policy and practice; policy makers and policy making bodies at all levels; members of the media who influence public opinion; foundations, organizations, business groups and others who support, criticize and advocate for reform; and citizens who make choices about education for themselves and their children.

America is witnessing a drastic redefinition of the policies and practices associated with “public education.” Too often, discussions around the future of public education are strong on passion but short on actual evidence. The Forum for the Future of Public Education is filing that gap by building a resource of objective, research-based insights on key educational issues. We are establishing an open venue- a true public forum to debate controversial and consequential policy issues that will shape American’s future.

Latest News

Ed Psych scholar Jennifer Cromley Recognized as Lead Contributor to Field

by the College of Education at Illinois / Oct 8, 2018

Professor Jennifer Cromley

From 2009 to 2016, Educational Psychology scholar Jennifer C. Cromley was one of the top-producing female authors, editors, and editorial board members in her field, according to a paper in the journal Educational Psychology Review.

Cromley and the 22 other educational psychologists who were recognized in the piece collectively had 161 published articles in educational psychology journals. “By most standards of scholarly productivity,” the paper reads, “these women are highly accomplished contributors to the field.”

In all, Cromley contributed to 21 articles during the time period of the study and was a first author in one piece. Of those articles, seven were published in the five peer-reviewed “targeted” journals gauged in the study, which were Cognition and Instruction, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Educational Psychologist, Educational Psychology Review, and Journal of Educational Psychology.

Cromley said all seven of the articles in the targeted journals had graduate students as authors. Four of those articles, she said, had students as first authors, two of which were dissertations.

“It feels wonderful for all of us to receive this recognition,” Cromley said.

The abstract of the study noted that the top-producing women in educational psychology have less seniority, on average, in the field than their male counterparts. Male authors also have more publications, on average, and more sole authorships and first authorships compared to female authors, the study found.

“No discernible progress has been made by women in terms of editorial board memberships or editorships since 2004,” it says at the end of the abstract.

Professor Cromley was recognized in 2016 by the same publication as one of the top 20 most published educational psychologists in the world.