Researcher and/or technicians in education policy? The original dilemma

Abstract

In recent decades educational studies and research show a sustained development in Latin America. Within this group, education policy research, albeit a field still in construction, shows a remarkable growth reflected in the increase of publications and the growing presence of the subject matter in scientific events, graduate programs, and research networks. However, this knowledge production lacks sound theoretical sources and conceptual strength to interpret the complex and diverse education reality of these times, in turbulent contexts. This presentation argues, as a hypothesis, that there would be a tension, identifiable since the first debates on the subject matter, which traverses the development of the field and the dynamics of education policy production: to train researchers and/or technical analysts in education policy. To this end, firstly, this paper presents a retrospective glance on some milestones that marked the genesis of the field of study and the dynamics of education policy research production and institutionalization in Argentina. Then, the paper argues on the relevance of theory in the analysis of the complexity presented by the socio-political reality of education, and in the training of professionals in the scholarly and policy field in this country.

Keywords

• Educational Policy.
• Analytical Referentials.
• Research Training.