The Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study (BTES) newsletter presents news and an overview of the BTES project. Major articles recount the story of what happens when public school teachers and principals implement the BTES into their individual schools. (LH)

Three issues of this newsletter of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) provide articles, columns by the Institute Director, and news items. The major articles include: "Adapting the Marketing Concept to the Dissemination and Utilization of Disability Research"; "NIDRR Grantees' Q & A about…

Research and practical ideas on inservice reading programs are the subject of this report from the National Right to Read Effort. The report deals with the following topics: producing an effective inservice program, constructive changes, planning, "do-it-yourself" teachers' centers, research on effective inservice education, and…

The current international debate over patient rights to essential drugs versus intellectual property rights is inescapable. Across fields such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, and biotechnology, southern hemisphere countries appear to be finding it increasingly difficult to afford and benefit from technologies and ideas produced by big…

Twenty-six American Newspaper Publishers Association research reports published since 1978 are reviewed in this paper. The paper analyzes each of the reports in order to provide an overview of what their findings really say and what newspapers can do in their own market areas to use the findings to improve their product. Among the topics covered…

The improvement of instructional methods or the solutions of problems of an instructional nature requires information that is not usually part of the Canadian common experience and must be discovered by means of research. Types of fundamental and applied research are discussed, including action, developmental, evaluation, and diagnostic research.…

A review of research supported by the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) focuses on practical applications of research findings on family involvement in special education. The findings identify how family life can be utilized as a source of children's learning opportunities, concluding with four suggested…

Nonmetropolitan areas have the highest percentage of people with disabilities, including severe disabilities. However, rural people with disabilities may represent a population that is underserved or difficult to reach. Barriers to information dissemination in rural areas include limited transportation and communications infrastructures, greater…

Issues concerning the collection and uses of data about college student retention are considered. Some of the documented findings about student retention in U.S. colleges is summarized, with attention to both national data and data for colleges belonging to the United Negro College Fund. Difficulties in obtaining useful retention data are…

This issue of FEEDBACK, a newsletter produced by the the Austin Independent School District Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE), illustrates the accuracy, validity, and fairness of ORE reports. The independence of the reports is explained. Internal and external quality controls are used to ensure reliability and accuracy of the reports.…

The six articles of this issue discuss the place of meta-analysis in the health professions and present two state-of-the-art meta-analyses using a variety of innovative methodologies, statistics, and secondary analytic procedures. A survey conducted for this issue and its sequel explores interventions to facilitate meta-analysis. (SLD)

This newsletter presents a critical view of some of the perils of translating research findings into classroom practice without careful examination of the human dimensions involved. The first issue discussed is ability grouping; it is pointed out that this practice does not necessarily increase academic achievement, particularly in the lower level…

This issue of Research and Educational Practice Improvement Notes discusses three recent studies on schooling: (1) "Changing Our Schools; The Realities," by Kenneth Tye; (2) "Innovation Up Close: A Field Study in Twelve School Settings," Volume Four of a study conducted by David P. Crandall and associates; and (3)…

A staff development project designed a publication for the effective statewide dissemination of significant current or previous Section 353 special demonstration projects in adult literacy education in Pennsylvania and for the provision of feedback to project directors about their project's strengths and weaknesses. During the project, 72 programs…

To add a foundation to the growing excitement among educators about the central role they play in helping learners become strategic readers, the articles in this thematic journal provide insight into current reading theory and practice. Richard Telfer's article reviews research on strategic reading and clarifies what is meant by the phrase…