Analysis of Pegnato and Birch's data invalidates the observation that teacher nominations should not be relied upon in gifted identification, as analysis shows that effectiveness and efficiency are related to number of subjects singled out as a result of the chosen cutoff value. An alternative is presented: compare correlation coefficients of the…

Wong has argued that the role of the teacher/researcher is full of conflict in that the pull of either students or research may affect commitment to the other. It is argued that research is not inherently conflictual, but that one teacher/researcher's tension is another's intention. (SLD)

Collaborative relationships between researchers and resources from government, industry, and academia were studied through a survey of research into dental materials. The outcomes of research conducted under various arrangements by 386 targeted respondents were reviewed. Implications of the high rate of collaboration for both industry and academia…

Urges that research in elementary music education focus on discovering better ways of teaching and learning music and that findings be incorporated into the curriculum. Suggests questions for research, including when should abstractions be taught? what aspects of singing can be taught? and do all children listen similarly? Recommends replication…

Reviews Tennessee's Project Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) and puts the results in the context of other nonexperimental evidence about class size. Nonexperimental evidence does not support any achievement gains attributable to class-size reduction, and empirical evidence from STAR has design and implementation flaws that cast doubt on…

Compares the presumption of "validity" of student evaluation of teaching quality with: (1) results of studies at the University of Washington on the influence of grade expectation and workload on student ratings; (2) attempts at the University of Rochester to use agency theory to improve teaching quality; and (3) the peer review model…

Identifies gaps between what research reveals about how college students learn and current academic, pedagogical, and administrative practices and policies. Offers five explanations of why these gaps exist and suggests that change must be systemic, and will also require that people relearn their roles, systematic measurement of progress, and a…

In recent years portfolios have served increasingly as a vehicle for individual and program evaluation, as well as for career purposes in many fields including education (Galloway, 2001). Nationwide, teacher development programs are being asked to include their students' artifacts in some form of teaching portfolio that will ultimately be used as…

Adopting perspectives based on applications of artificial intelligence proven in industry, this paper discusses methodological strategies and issues that underlie the development of such software environments. The general concept of an expert system is discussed in the context of its relevance to the problem of increasing the accessibility of…

Whether termed "quality indicators,""student outcomes," or "measures of accountability," the concern for educational effectiveness is surfacing as the new focus for community colleges. Key to the realization of educational accountability is the availability of solid research information that can assess to what extent results are being achieved.…

This paper presents a proposal for improving the relationship between the communities of research on teaching and teacher education. An examination is made on ways existing research on teaching might be used in curriculum planning for teacher education. Three changes are called for: (1) that researchers and teacher educators understand each…

National Institute of Education (NIE) staff members have developed a convening process characterized by collaborative meetings with experts to focus on specific problems of an educational organization. The process is intended to help combine research knowledge with practical experience in order to make informed decisions quickly. This document is…

Focusing on the problems of the federal role in education, the educational "competency" of federal programs, and the usefulness of research-based knowledge for educational practice, this report evaluates the Experimental Schools Program (ESP), a small federal program in the early 1970s that aimed to help poor and minority students by…

The Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program research component examines the successes and administrative dilemmas faced by demonstration projects that attempted to develop interorganizational networks in a knowledge utilization and school improvement process. A framework is presented for looking at RDU projects as a group of…

A study of the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program illuminates several policy choices for federal and state support of dissemination and school improvement projects. RDU was established in 1976 to disseminate educational materials and thereby help schools clarify and solve local problems. Seven…