In this essay we begin with a discussion of what we call the "great gap" between our research and its influence on society. We point out that although there is ample evidence speaking to these areas, a lack of societal change suggests that evidence has largely gone unnoticed, ignored, or not well promoted or disseminated. Throughout this…

This reply to an article on educational research by Chester E. Finn agrees that the U.S. Department of Education does not give enough support to research, but disagrees with Finn's analysis. What is needed is a strong infrastructure for educational research. This in turn will inspire educators to identify and examine the important questions. (VM)

Argues that the current trend toward abandoning teacher education comes at an inopportune time, since recent research creates opportunities for meaningful reform. Discusses findings concerning instructional and classroom management techniques and their effects on student achievement, the classroom applications of such findings, and consequent…

A staff development program that conceptualizes the teacher as "executive," or manager of time factors, curriculum, and instruction would help teachers to deal with the complexities inherent in the modern elementary school classroom. (CJ)

The teaching profession can benefit from the examples of medicine and law by incorporating truly specialized professional knowledge into educational practice. Educational research should be acknowledged to have comparable validity with research in hard and soft sciences. The communication of research findings to practitioners will improve…