I think we need to think seriously about the connections between research and practice so that we begin to close that gap. In manufacturing and in the private sector, research and practice are often done by the same organization. But in education, practice is done in institutions that are quite independent of research. I think this School of Education has made some really extraordinary leaps in developing new models of institutional connections. Those are the kinds of things I'm interested in promoting and providing leadership in.
Some people here are pathbreakers regarding models of research that are very connected to practice.
One is Milbrey McLaughlin, director of the new John Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities. The center is a good example of an approach that is more likely to close the gap between research and practice and, at the same time, promote the university's mission, which is to develop new knowledge and a new generation of researchers and community leaders. Through the center, Stanford will provide a community service that's related very directly to the research that our faculty and students do. I want to be careful, though. Although my work at UCLA leads me personally to be involved with practitioners and working in schools, I think it's very important that the School of Education maintain its foundations and basic disciplines.