Informed decisions on school reform
Ben Superfine: pinpointing problems in school reform. Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin
This year, UIC honors 10 outstanding researchers with the Researcher of the Year Award, a $5,000 cash prize. Five established faculty members were named Distinguished Researchers and five early career scientists were honored as Rising Stars.
Ben Superfine
Rising Star, Social Sciences
Ben Superfine focuses on the most persistent problems in education, those that have thwarted effective school reform for decades.
He sees a disconnect between policy, media coverage and what researchers already know.
“Decisions are made on the basis of political expediency. Often the policy makers don’t know what’s going on,” said Superfine, associate professor of educational policy studies in the College of Education.
“We see policies that don’t reflect what researchers know, based on evidence that politicians assume to be solid.”
To jumpstart a more useful dialogue by giving non-researchers access to current research, Superfine launched the Research on Urban Education Policy Initiative in 2010.
The initiative calls on UIC faculty to analyze problems in education and produce policy briefs, publishes the briefs online and in print, distributes them through email and social media, and organizes conferences to meet with leaders in other sectors who can act on the information.
Superfine’s first step toward was to assemble an advisory board of experts in education, media and civic foundations. He recruited leaders like Terry Mazany of the Chicago Community Trust, Elizabeth Brackett of WTTW 11 and Jim Paul, assistant director of the UI’s Institute for Government and Public Affairs. The board helps determine which briefs should be written and offers peer review, Superfine said.
The first brief, published last fall, discusses how training for preschool educators should differ from teachers of kindergarten through high school. Other recent briefs have addressed the need to train principals in early childhood education, and better ways to prepare urban youth with disabilities for life after high school. The briefs are available online.
“The authors are hearing back from readers,” said Superfine, who plans to publish three more briefs this spring.
Other Researchers of the Year
Natasha Devroye: Rising Star, Natural Sciences & Engineering
Xiaoping Du: Distinguished Researcher, Basic Life Sciences
Leon Fink: Distinguished Researcher, Humanities
Stacie Geller: Distinguished Researcher, Clinical Sciences
Rachel Havrelock: Rising Star, Humanities
Seungpyo Hong: Rising Star, Basic Life Sciences
Bing Liu: Distinguished Researcher, Natural Sciences & Engineering
Krista Varady: Rising Star, Clinical Sciences
Maria Varelas: Distinguished Researcher, Social Sciences
