The traditional model of educational research calls for a process that likely goes something like this. Somebody with a background in Educational Psychology and a connection to a research institution is needed to initiate the lengthy process of identifying schools with similar interests and needs as them, traversing the IRB (Institutional Review Board) process, and, if approved, getting graduate assistants to administer instruments, clean and process the data, and finally figure out whether or not the data supports the researchers’ hypothesis. 

There is great value to this process, particularly in school districts and states looking to develop longitudinal data to help determine funding and resource appropriation. However, I would argue that the daunting task of pulling together a research project of this scale dissuades even the most curious teacher and administrator seeking clarity on the experiences of their students. While my experience is purely anecdotal, I have taught in multiple private boarding schools for a total of 21 years and have never been part of research that I did not run myself. Who has the time, right?

We owe it to our students to make time to do this work and I argue that Design-Based Research provides a feasible…