This article adds to the growing body of literature on the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) in social work. Specifically, it examines a 9-hour EBP educational model designed to prepare MSW students for appropriate decision-making strategies in working with multicultural client populations. The model places emphasis on identification and…

This study examines the structuring of university-community research partnerships that facilitate theoretically grounded research while also generating findings that community partners find actionable. We analyze one partnership that positions university-based researchers as members of a team working to create, maintain, and use a longitudinal…

Objectives: This article describes the Standard Interview for Evidence Use (SIEU), a measure to assess the level of engagement in acquiring, evaluating, and applying research evidence in health and social service settings. Method: Three scales measuring input, process, and output of research evidence and eight subscales were identified using…

This report describes the planning and implementation of San Francisco's weighted student formula policy, an equity-driven student-based planning and budgeting policy. It examines one district's policy goals, planning and implementation considerations, and how the policy interacted with other local, state, and federal policies. Although limited to…

Investigates the claims of scientific objectivity that support recent changes in policies toward early-literacy instruction in the states of Texas and California. Uses a framework to assess the validity of this claim through the analysis of 10 major studies of phonological awareness. Finds the two states' curricular policy statements to be highly…

Findings from a study that explored the ways in which principals use information on school quality are presented in this paper. The effects of school level, years of administrative experience, students' socioeconomic status, and school performance are also examined. Methodology involved interviews and follow-up interviews with a total of 38…

In 2002, the RAND Corporation launched a project to understand how educators are responding to the new accountability requirements in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania--three states that represent a range of approaches, regions, and student populations. The researchers aimed to identify the factors that enhance the implementation of SBA…

A study was sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to: (1) document and analyze the information needs of various groups (e.g., the legislature, state agencies, and community colleges) with respect to the state's community colleges and to prepare a matrix of information needs and uses; (2) inventory the…

A study was conducted in 1979 to determine the organizational factors that influence the growth or decline of community college Research, Evaluation, and Planning units (REP's) and to assess the impact of Proposition 13 (California tax limitation measure, 1978) on these units. A historical analysis of REP development at a single community college…

The effectiveness with which research findings are disseminated to policy makers in education, particularly at the state level, is explored in the four chapters of this report. In chapter 1, Linda J. Nelson reviews the literature and determines that policy makers do make important, but indirect, use of research. She suggests that research…

After several lengthy evaluations of California's Early Childhood Education (ECE) program proved inadequate, unhappy legislators and educators finally found satisfaction in a brief, mimeographed report. Several factors were responsible for the success of this new evaluation, the "Interim Report on the Special Study of Selected ECE Schools…

This study contributes to the field by identifying a broad range of traditional and newer middle grade policies and practices, and determining in California which of these differentiate higher- from lower-performing schools serving similar student populations, with performance measured by the state's standards-based tests. Based on a sample of 303…

This study analyzes the ways in which school boards assess and utilize evaluation data and their attitudes toward testing. Interviews with 27 school board members from 10 districts indicate that board members tend to rely on informal working knowledge over formal information, and on district administrators' judgments. Findings suggest that simple…

An Interview With Kiley Walsh In her ground-breaking study, titled "After the Test: How Schools Are Using Data to Close the Achievement Gap", researcher Kiley Walsh shows clear evidence of specific work being done to close achievement gaps. Walsh selected 32 schools across six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area and compared those…

This document presents an evaluation of the year-round operations (YRO) at the University of California and the California State Colleges. A comparison of YRO and YRO alternatives and the success of conversion planning led to four basic conclusions and recommendations: (1) The concept of YRO is sound and can result in significant total cost…