The Moral Case for Shifting to a Context-Centered Approach to Evidence-based Education

About the Talk

The evidence-based approach to education seeks to improve student outcomes by using scientific research to identify effective programs. Critics of the evidence-based approach critique it on both moral and epistemic grounds. Epistemically, its central research methods fail to provide the information needed to make good decisions about policy and practice. Morally, it neglects important values, implicitly prioritizes some aims of educational justice, and is unfair—perhaps even disrespectful—to educators.

In this talk, I offer a context-centered approach to evidence-based education that addresses both epistemic and moral critiques. While much of my previous work concerns epistemic issues, my focus here is on moral issues. I argue that the context-centered approach properly incorporates values and is conducive to various aims of educational justice. Moreover, it is respectful to educators and enables fair accountability practices.

About the Speaker

Kathryn Joyce is the director of the Civil Discourse for Citizenship Program in the Center for Ethics and Human Values at The Ohio State University. She specializes in social and political philosophy, philosophy of education, and ethics. Previously, Joyce was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Values & Public Policy at the Princeton University Center for Human Values and the Education Research Section in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She received her PhD in Philosophy from the University of California, San Diego in 2020.

This talk will take place on Zoom.