The political context of evaluation is described, with positive and negative influences. Strategies are proposed for preserving the credibility of evaluation in political contexts. Researchers must maintain the neutral posture of the basic scientist. (SLD)

This commentary documents errors in the statistical analyses and interpretation of empirical evidence in "The Bell Curve" by R. Herrnstein and C. Murray (1994). "The Bell Curve" neglects the role of education and grossly overstates the case for IQ as a determinant of social success. (SLD)

This article describes a model of inservice training for regular and special educators (K-4th grade), with a focus on updating teachers on recent research developments in preventing and treating reading and writing disabilities and translating this knowledge into classroom practice. The effectiveness of the model is discussed. (Author/CR)

Introduction: Studies of health professionals' perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of research utilization in clinical practices suggest that structural and resource characteristics of service provider organizations are key determinants of the capacity of individual practitioners to provide evidence-based practices. In this pilot study, we…

Throughout this era of greater educational accountability, assessment researchers have argued that large-scale comparative assessment data can enhance learning within and across systems of education and can foster reforms based on the practices of high achieving jurisdictions. Other researchers are less optimistic, warning that educational reform…

Computer-based technologies are now commonplace in classrooms, and the integration of these media into the teaching and learning of mathematics is supported by government policy in most developed countries. However, many questions about the impact of computer-based technologies on classroom mathematics learning remain unanswered, and debates about…

Society is not in a crisis of literacy, but in a crisis of literate skills. Being literate in today's formal education system means being able to talk and write about language, to explain and sequence implicit knowledge and rules of planning, and to speak and write for multiple functions in appropriate forms. Literate understanding requires far…

This report describes a four-day institute funded by the U.S. Office of Education to increase the utilization of government publications by extending the knowledge of academic reference librarians about them. Librarians from 25 universities attended the institute. Discussion of the use of government publications was divided into three broad…

Research evidence on the potentials of health education for contributing to resolution of national health issues was reviewed. It is concluded that greater investments in health education on selected problems for selected populations would yield a better cost-benefit return than comparable investments in tertiary medical care. High priority groups…

Research for Better Schools (RBS) is supporting improvement efforts in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. One form of this support is RBS's participation in collaborative projects to develop a system-wide, research-utilization approach to the improvement of basic skills instruction. Educational systems following the approach employ a staff…

Interactive Research and Development on Teaching (IR&DT) is an alternative Research and Development (R&D) strategy that probes the questions, problems, and concerns of classroom teachers in a nonlinear manner. Each of the primary functions of traditional R&D--research, development, dissemination, and implementation--are performed…

Evaluates first year of under Fives Research Liaison Officers, responsible for dissemination of educational research results on children under five to preschool practitioners. Response was largely positive. Questions were raised concerning establishment of causal sequence between practitioners' interest, research findings, changes in practice, and…

A graduate course that challenged classroom teachers to make a meaningful connection between the research literature and effective classroom teaching strategies was designed and analyzed. The Tennessee State University course, Advanced Science in the Elementary School, is a team-taught doctoral level course for teachers trained in a hands-on…

The difficulties surrounding the application of educational research are explored from the point of view that an empirical understanding of the social sciences is not as effective as a common sense approach to human behavior called "interpretative understanding." Shortcomings of empiricist methodology, laws, and interpretation are…

Working with the National Council of Teachers of English, South Carolina has taken the bold step of focusing professional development in reading on teachers, rather than programs. The state created the South Carolina Reading Initiative (SCRI), a multi-year, research-based professional development model. (MLF)