Presents an account of the Mondale Initiative, i.e., an attempt during the period from 1967-73 to develop a national system of social indicators to improve social policy. The role of social scientists in national decision making and policy formation is examined, and a legislative history of the Mondale Initiative is appended. (51 references) (LRW)

This paper presents a historical overview of the use of action research in education and describes the basic assumptions and expectations that continue to characterize collaborative research projects today. Action research was initiated in the 1930's by Kurt Lewin and adapted by educators in the 1940's. Interest in action research declined between…

The method by which the systems view of educational knowledge production and utilization (KPU) has emerged from the federal experience of the last twenty years (1954-1974) is discussed. The impact of this approach on more recent federal KPU programs is considered, and the suitability of such an approach with regard to meeting the proposed criteria…

Shortened version of Galpin's reminiscences published in 1936 recounts early days of rural sociology research and his subsequent service in the United States Department of Agriculture's Office of Farm Management. (LFL)

The American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Special Interest Group (SIG) on "Creation and Utilization of Curriculum Knowledge" was formed in 1971 by researchers whose work focused upon the advancement of knowledge in curriculum. The interest area for this SIG centered on generic knowledge about: (1) curriculum definitions; (2)…

Modern educational research has its foundation in the fact finding techniques of the great educational organizers and administrators of the last century. Those individuals brought about the change from education administered in terms of tradition, to education administered in terms of knowledge. They created an atmosphere in education, accepting…

Examines family research and its cultural setting in 1937, then reports on changes and commonalities in research topics, research methods, and use of theory from 1937 through 1987. Offers general evaluations of current research and suggestions for changes that might increase productivity of family research. (Author)

Ethical issues; institutional characteristics and organizational arrangements; and roles and skills of the researcher must be considered if the government is to apply social science research findings more widely for the public good. (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA 94104, single issue, $6.95.) (Author/GDC)

Intended to provide the novice media researcher with an introduction, review, and current thinking on media-related research, this article traces the historical emphases and development of such research, discusses its positive and negative aspects, and presents recommendations by practitioners and researchers, as well as directions for future…

Although the evaluation of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I programs was mandated with its passage in 1965, the emphasis on evaluation increased in 1974 with the incorporation of Section 151. That section was redesignated in 1978 as Section 183. Section 183 included the directive that evaluations be conducted every third year, to…

The changing role of research in curriculum development since the late 1950's is reviewed. Factors are discussed that have affected the prevailing attitudes toward research and its value, including its role in fields other than education and the mixed success with which various research and development models have met in education. Particular…

Recalls the publication of the 1948 special issue of "Journal of Social Issues" on the social psychology of disability, speculates on the magazine's influence on changes in the field between 1948 and 1988, and discusses possible future developments. (Author/BJV)

Do social policy intellectuals and their research help to strengthen quality education? Was the 1954 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, which relied heavily on social science research, flawed in its reasoning on school desegregation, equal educational opportunity, and quality education for African Americans?…

Changes brought about in higher education by the information-oriented society and the influence of the marketplace on the university's products are analyzed. The role that education played in the industrial revolution is also addressed. It is claimed that education adopted the goals of industrialization and, in its educational philosophy,…

Federally funded educational knowledge production is a recent phenomenon, having expanded exponentially during the 1960's and 1970's. Accordingly, in response to current public scrutiny of the use of federal funds and of education itself, a historical review and assessment of the role of the federal government in relation to educational knowledge…