This book emphasizes the importance of research to the school psychologist. Written in a conversational style, it looks at research as a tool for problem solving and a basis for action rather than as an academic exercise. Research is described as an interaction, a point of contact to get things moving, a different way of seeing a problem. The…

A detailed report is given on the mechanics involved in conducting a successful bi-regional workshop for educators. The theme of the workshop was designed around two Research Within Reach (RWR) documents dealing with oral/written communications and secondary mathematics; however, papers and discussion generated by the workshop are not included in…

This manual presents a system of precedures constructed to improve occupational student follow-up in California community colleges. First, introductory material describes the development of the Student Accountability Model (SAM) project; presents two levels of guidelines for the system--essential and highly desirable; and enumerates assumptions…

Describes how North Carolina educators cooperated to build a system of teacher-performance appraisal. To build the program, educators derived basic teaching functions from literature and observed teachers to gather performance data. Training is now provided to districts, and information about effective teaching is disseminated throughout the…

Reports on a program held at the 1986 American Library Association Conference which offered a model for locating and evaluating existing research on libraries. Six guidelines for evaluating research are provided, and small group sessions which evaluated actual research and talked directly with researchers are described. (EM)

The research model presented here is designed to be used by practitioners who either do not have substantial training in research methodology or do not have the time to design and document involved procedures. (SK)

The Teacher Followup Survey (TFS) is a 1-year followup of a sample of teachers who were originally selected for the Teacher Questionnaire of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics. There have been three data cycles for the SASS and three TFS versions. This data file user's manual enables the user to…

The Teacher Followup Survey (TFS) is a 1-year follow-up of a sample of teachers who were originally selected for the Teacher Questionnaire in the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), an integrated set of surveys of public and private schools. There have been three data cycles for the SASS, and three for the TFS. The data in this report links…

Describes a polling procedure developed to ascertain student needs. Variations in carrying out the procedure are also described. Categories for research include needs assessment, program evaluation, market research, and opinion survey. The effective use of research results is discussed. (RC)

Some ways in which research on student financial aid can be conducted and used to further institutional goals and objectives are presented. Four topics for inclusion in an institution's research agenda are suggested: recruiting, measuring the aid program's effectiveness, expanding aid resources, and analyzing family financial capacity. (Author/MSE)

Presents a format for assisting educators in translating educational research into classroom interventions. Steps include identifying the problem, seeking a variety of sources, reviewing information, selecting primary sources, distinguishing between theory and opinion, reviewing the parts of a research article, and translating the research into…

This article considers the connection between academic research in the area of sensory disabilities and the political process of change. In particular, the focus of the article concerns the "thinking" of people who "do" research and those who "do" legislation. A list of suggestions for enhancing political change is included. (Contains six…

Traditional needs assessments strategies are inadequate today. Today's needs assessment involves determining problems, priorities, opportunities, and learning needs before making decisions about professional development. Four questions to guide discussions on needs assessment include whether it was planned collaboratively, whether multiple sources…

The Education Commission of the States conducted interviews in six school districts in five different states (California, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, and Texas) to understand how districts can use data most effectively. These districts had used data to dramatically improve student achievement. Districts that make wise use of data have strong…

This study was conceived as a systematic replication of a content analysis of published science education research conducted by Horton et al. in 1993. As such, 47 research articles published in "Science Education" between 1988 and 1992 were examined. Also, this study further extended the findings of Shaver and Norton, and Wallen and…