As transformative reforms like the Common Core State Standards and educator evaluation roll out amidst a rapidly changing demographic landscape, the need for getting high-quality research on timely topics into the hands of practitioners grows all the more urgent. While rigor and relevance need not be a question of "either/or", but rather…

Five background papers were produced for the Research, Development and Dissemination System Committee of the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board in preparation for the proposed reauthorization of the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. The first paper, "Shaping the Future of…