PIREF, an incentive to research in education and training has just been launched, in order to develop research based on social and political needs. Similar programmes already exist or are considered in anglo-saxon countries, which have caused hot debate about the relationship between research and educational practices and policies. The question is whether it is possible to fight the isolation, uselessness or even irrelevance of educational research but without getting caught in a tight link with the social and political demand, which would make it a mere instrument. This article introduces the various positions found in the anglo-saxon scientific magazins with a view to starting this long-standing debate anew in the french context.