Combating Systematic Research Inequality Through Multiple Research Approaches: Exploring the Role of Federal Funding Opportunities

Abstract

The importance of the ethnic diversity of study participants is well established in the medical, social science, and education fields but more work is needed. Currently, the concern revolves around the inclusion of racial diversity, within study populations, in the reporting of results, and diversity of authors and reviewers of research (Roberts, Bareket-Shavit, et al., 2020). In response to a call for action from the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in light of the deaths of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor (Schneider, 2020, para. 1), the authors posit three recommendations that directly address the call for action given the aspirations of IES to be responsive to diversity challenges in research and legislative requirements for educational practitioners. Recommendations include the more thorough reporting of study population racial diversity within the What Works Clearinghouse, the creation of additional funding structures within IES that create opportunity for multiple research approach studies and potentially enhance racial diversity (in studies, study topics, researchers, and reviewers), and the development of metrics to assess progress in addressing racial diversity goals over time. Together, the recommendations in this theoretical paper support research focused on increasing the knowledge base of what works, for whom, and under what conditions, that acknowledge the importance of tailored solutions for people of color.