Paula Heron
University of Washington

What makes physics education research useful and influential?

In a guest editorial in Educational Researcher Burkhardt and Schoenfeld 
claimed that "Educational research is not very influential, useful, or 
well funded." They identified some reasons and proposed a number of 
solutions. In contrast to the situation they described, findings from the 
physics education research community have had a significant impact on the 
teaching of physics. Some reasons for this difference will be proposed and 
some future directions for PER that promise to extend its impact will be 
identified.