Preface

Citation

Walker, P.H.a.A.D. (2014), "Preface", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 52 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-05-2014-0061

Preface

Article Type: Preface From: Journal of Educational Administration, Volume 52, Issue 5.

The editors are excited that this special issue on quantitative methodologies for school improvement research has reached fruition and is appearing in JEA. We agree with the guest editors’ assertion that this particular domain of research has, for too long, relied on a narrow range of research designs and methods that are insufficient to the task of building a sound knowledge base for policy and practice. While case studies and cross-sectional studies still have roles to play, in our judgment, greater priority should be assigned to quantitative and mixed methods longitudinal designs in this particular line of inquiry.

The guest editors and authors do an admirable job of articulating the rationale for the above conclusions and assertions. We feel no need to repeat them here. Nonetheless, we wish to highlight both the methodological and substantive contributions of the special issue and offer the prediction that this will become a highly cited set of papers in years to come.

Philip Hallinger and Allan D. Walker