The politics of linking educational research, policy, and practice: The case of improving educational quality in Ghana, Guatemala and Mali

This paper examines the political dimension of the educational research undertaken by Ghanian, Guatemalan, and Malian teams as part of the 1991 to 1996, USAID-funded "Improving Educational Quality" (IEQ) project. The following questions are addressed: (a) why were (or were not) aspects of the educational reforms studied by the researchers; (b) why were (or were not) research findings used in decision-making about the educational policies and practices associated with the reforms; and (c) why were particular institutional arrangements and funding levels constituted for the research and dialogue activity. In offering answers to these questions, attention is paid to local, national, and global power relations and resource distributions.