An Interview with Michael Kirst

People in Education Evaluation and Research (PEER), prepared by the Phi Delta Kappa Center on Evaluation, Development, and Research, introduces Kappan readers to individu­als who make exemplary contributions to research, or who make effective, practi­cal applications of research in the ad­ministration of public schools. Michael Kirst is featured in this PEER column be­cause of the exemplary way in which he is bridging the gap between policy and research in California.

With his colleague James Guthrie, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Kirst created and now co­directs PACE, a university-based education policy center. PACE was es­tablished in 1983 to provide legislators and policy makers with a broad founda­tion of information on which to base edu­cation policies. PACE researchers act independently—free from the influence of government or of education interest groups, yet able to provide both groups with data and advice.

Kirst's unique qualifications and ex­periences enable him to see many sides of an educational issue. He is currently a professor of education and business ad­ministration and a member of the affili­ated faculty in political science at Stan­ford University. He has served as presi­dent of the California State Board of Edu­cation (1977–81), vice president of the American Educational Research Associ­ation, and commissioner of the Education Commission of the States. Before join­ing the Stanford faculty, Kirst held several positions with the federal government, including staff director of the U.S. Sen­ate Subcommittee on Manpower, Employment, and Poverty, and director of program planning and evaluation for the Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Office of Education.

This article was originally published in The Phi Delta Kappan by Phi Delta Kappa International and Journal Storage (JSTOR).