Grassroots Efforts to Bring Open Science to the Field of Education Research

data management
education research
A brief history of efforts by various individuals, groups, and organizations to bring open science to the field of education and developmental science. Image from Open Social Work.
Author

Crystal Lewis

Published

March 23, 2026

Open science is a global movement that aims to make scientific research and its outcomes freely accessible to everyone. By fostering practices like data sharing and preregistration, open science not only accelerates scientific progress but also strengthens trust in research findings. Adopting open science practices can enhance the quality, credibility, and reach of your research. Open science is a collaborative effort that welcomes everyone—regardless of role or experience—to participate in creating a more equitable and trustworthy research ecosystem.
Center for Open Science

Some of the central pillars of open science include open access (e.g., preprints), open data and materials, preregistration, and registered reports. Although policies are evolving—with some funders and journals now mandating aspects of open science such as data and materials sharing—much of the movement remains driven by grassroots efforts. At its core, open science is about individuals coming together with a shared commitment to improving research practices and fostering a more transparent and collaborative scientific culture. The goal is to create research that is freely accessible, more trustworthy, and ultimately more useful to the broader community.

Across fields, grassroots movements have played a key role in advancing open science, with notable efforts in fields such as psychology, communication sciences, and environmental science. Education and developmental science have seen similar efforts, led by individuals and groups working to promote more open practices. In this post, I highlight some of the past and ongoing efforts to raise awareness and strengthen open science practices in this field. I say some because I know there are many other efforts not mentioned in this post that I’ve missed or am not aware of. I also recognize that these efforts are largely U.S.-centric, and I would welcome hearing about additional initiatives not mentioned in this post!

Publications

Over the last 10+ years there have been numerous open science publications in the field of education. Below is a sampling of some of the more recent publications that cover various open science topics (and are openly available to read).

  1. Beaudry, J. L., Chen, D. T., Cook, B. G., Dirzo, M., Errington, T. M., Fortunato, L., Given, L., Hahn, K., Ihle, M., & Markham, L. (2020). Open scholarship norms among education researchers. Open Science Framework. https://osf.io/nsbr3/files/89ehs

  2. Cook, B. G., Fleming, J. I., Hart, S. A., Lane, K. L., Therrien, W. J., van Dijk, W., & Wilson, S. E. (2022). A how-to guide for open-science practices in special education research. Remedial and Special Education, 43(4), 270–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/07419325211019100

  3. Hart, S. A. (2025). Open science: My insights into data sharing, preregistration, and replication. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale, 79(4), 311–316. https://doi.org/10.1037/cep0000386

  4. Kalandadze, T., & Hart, S. A. (2024). Open developmental science: An overview and annotated reading list. Infant and Child Development, 33(1), e2334. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2334

  5. Lewis, C. (2024). Data management in large-scale education research (1st ed.). Chapman and Hall/CRC. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781032622835

  6. Lindström, E. R., Fleming, J. I., Pfeiffer, D. L., Kalandadze, T., & Cook, B. G. (2025). Open-access publishing in special education and related fields: Making scholarship freely available to all. Research in Special Education, 2. https://doi.org/10.25894/rise.2490

  7. Logan, J. A. R., Hayward, A. L., Swanz, L. E., et al. (2025). Education researchers’ beliefs and barriers towards data sharing. Quality & Quantity, 59, 4061–4075. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-025-02188-6

  8. Lombardi, A., Chow, J., Cook, B. G., Scott, L., Root, J. & Fleming, J. I., (2025) “Prioritizing preregistration in special education research”, Research in Special Education 2. https://doi.org/10.25894/rise.2643

  9. Makel, M., Caroleo, S., Meyer, M., Pei, M., Fleming, J., Hodges, J., Cook, B., & Plucker, J. (2026). ‘Don’t hate the players, hate the game’: Qualitative insights from education researchers on questionable and open research practices. Royal Society Open Science, 13(1), 251888. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251888

  10. Neild, R. C., Robinson, D., & Agufa, J. (2022). Sharing study data: A guide for education researchers (NCEE 2022-004). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/2022004/pdf/2022004.pdf

  11. Reich, J., Gehlbach, H., & Albers, C. J. (2020). “Like upgrading from a typewriter to a computer”: Registered Reports in Education Research. AERA Open, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858420917640

  12. Renshaw, T. L., van Dijk, W., Farmer, R. L., Brown, J. M., & Jimerson, S. R. (2025). Advancing open science in school psychology: Opportunities, innovations, and future directions to support transparency, access, and accountability. School Psychology Review, 54(4), 433–442. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2025.2522589

  13. Roehrig, A. D., Soper, D., Cox, B. E., & Colvin, G. P. (2018). Changing the default to support open access to education research. Educational Researcher, 47(7), 465-473. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X18782974

  14. van Dijk, W., Schatschneider, C., & Hart, S. A. (2021). Open science in education sciences. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 54(2), 139–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219420945267

  15. White, C. M., Estrera, S. A., Schatschneider, C., & Hart, S. A. (2024). Getting started with data sharing: Advice for researchers in education. Research in Special Education, 1. https://doi.org/10.25894/rise.2604

Blog posts, Webinars, Podcasts, and Other Resources

Podcast

  1. Hart, S. A., & Logan, J. A. R. (Hosts). (2020–present). Within & Between. http://www.withinandbetweenpod.com/
    • “Within & Between provides expert consulting, training, and resources to advance research practices in developmental and educational sciences. Led by Dr. Sara Hart and Dr. Jessica Logan, we bring deep expertise in language, reading and math development, advanced research methods, data management, and data sharing.”

Resources

  1. Renbarger, R., & Steltenpohl, C. (n.d.). Resources for practicing open science with qualitative research in education. OER Commons. https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/80058/overview
    • “This list of resources consists of resources for researchers, editors, and reviewers interested in practicing open science principles, particularly in education research. This list is not exhaustive but meant as a starting point for individuals wanting to learn more about doing open science work specifically for qualitative research.”
  2. Lewis, C. (2023) Example Project Open Data Sharing. https://osf.io/59gte/overview
    • “This project provides an example of the data products a researcher may choose to publicly share at the end of a research project. The files a researcher shares and how they share them will depend on their specific project and requirements (e.g., funder requirements, data reuse considerations). However, this repository provides just one example of how education researchers may consider organizing data products in a repository.”

Blog Posts

  1. Schoen, R. C., & Solmaz-Ratzlaff, G. (2023, November 30). Concrete models for educational data sharing. Center for Open Science. https://www.cos.io/blog/concrete-models-for-educational-data-sharing

  2. Solmaz-Ratzlaff, G., Lewis, C., Jacob, R. R., & Little, C. W. (2024, July 9). Empowering education research: The POWER of collaboration and open science. Center for Open Science. https://www.cos.io/blog/power-collaboration

Webinars

  1. Center for Open Science (2024, July, 31). Data Management in Large-Scale Education Research. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reCRoV94SxI

  2. Purdue Libraries. (2024, February 7). Implementing Open Science Standards at Peer-Reviewed Journals: The TOP Guidelines. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3knq4-vL658

  3. SREE Society. (2023, March 28). SEER Webinar 3: Sharing study data: Implications for education researchers. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qPNcE6Mq3Q

Affinity Groups

  1. SREE Open Science Affinity Group
    • The SREE (Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness) Open Science Affinity Group “is a community dedicated to promoting open science practices in educational research. Membership is free to any member of SREE. The Open Science Affinity group sponsors workshops and presentations at the annual conference, intermittent webinars for the SREE community, and promotes open science practices through the SREE newsletter, and the Open Science email list and website.”
  2. POWER Issues in Data Management in Education Research Hub
    • The POWER (Providing Opportunities for Women in Education Research) Issues in Data Management in Education Research Hub “was established in January 2022. The group was started to provide a way to share research data management knowledge among peers. Through monthly meetups and ongoing presentations, the hub provides support, training, and resources to women and under-represented gender groups in the education research community.”

Conferences

  1. COS Unconference: Open Scholarship Practices in Ed Research (2022-2023)
    • For three years the Center for Open Science held the Unconference, “a virtual participation event featuring participant-led sessions analyzing the current state of open scholarship practice seeking solutions to identified problems.”
    • Unconference 2021
    • Unconference 2022
    • Unconference 2023

Training

  1. DMDS Workshop (2024 - 2027)
    • Since 2024, a five-day annual Data Management for Data Sharing (DMDS) workshop has been offered on the Vanderbilt Peabody campus, made possible by a generous grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “This workshop includes intensive short courses that are designed to equip researchers with essential skills and knowledge for effective data management and proper data sharing, ensuring that research data shared is well organized, validated, and secured.”

Repository

  1. LDbase Data Repository
    • Established in 2020, LDbase is an “NIH-funded collaboration between researchers and librarians to build a first-of-its-kind behavioral project-oriented data repository containing decades of knowledge from educational and developmental sciences on individuals across the full range of abilities”.
    • You can read more about LDbase: Hart, S. A., Schatschneider, C., Reynolds, T., & Calvo, F. (2024). A Community Data Sharing Resource: The LDbase Data Repository. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 57(6), 411-416. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194241254091

Ultimately, I think if we want to keep making headway in this field, we need to continue to meet people where they are at. This includes showing the value of open science practices, as many have done already. It also means providing accessible and practical resources (relevant to the field) that will help people implement practices. And last, it means being flexible and understanding that open science is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It may look different for different research and may even not always be possible.

In a recent conversation with Aleksandra Lazić, she pointed out this quote from Sara Hart that I’ll wrap up with:

The open science movement will succeed not through rigid adherence to universal rules, but through thoughtful adaptation that maintains scientific rigor while embracing the diversity of research contexts, career stages, and resource levels in our community. The goal is not perfect compliance, but meaningful transparency that serves both science and society.
Sara Hart

Blog cover image from https://opensocialwork.org/research/open-science/

Citation

BibTeX citation:
@online{lewis2026,
  author = {Lewis, Crystal},
  title = {Grassroots {Efforts} to {Bring} {Open} {Science} to the
    {Field} of {Education} {Research}},
  date = {2026-03-23},
  url = {https://cghlewis.com/blog/ed_open_sci/},
  langid = {en}
}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
Lewis, Crystal. 2026. “Grassroots Efforts to Bring Open Science to the Field of Education Research.” March 23. https://cghlewis.com/blog/ed_open_sci/.