Welcome to the REDD Project
Americans have long recognized that education plays an important role in society – as a means of achieving personal growth, economic success, and even democracy itself. Yet these lofty goals often confront harsh realities when local communities make decisions about educating youth. Within local communities, school-board members and district administrators, who often assume primary responsibility for education policy, must take into account a range of factors – some technical, others public – in crafting budgets, developing curricula, and setting goals.
The REDD project seeks to answer these and other important questions:
- How do local policymakers reach decisions about education?
- How do they argue for their positions on educational policy?
- What reasons do they offer to justify their positions?
- What evidence do they provide to support their positions?
- To which values do they implicitly and explicitly appeal?
REDD is a two-year study drawing on the resources of the Department of Communication Arts of the University of Wisconsin - Madison and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. From September 2009 through August 2011, REDD team members will track the deliberation and decision-making of three school districts in Wisconsin:
Team members will analyze board meetings and interview policymakers and other stakeholders to understand the dynamics of education policy in these diverse local communities.
The REDD project is funded by the William T. Grant Foundation, which supports research to improve the lives of young people.