To progress as a field, evaluators must be able to describe their work to nonevaluators, and to persuade an audience they have something unique and valuable to offer. Yet anecdotal reports suggest many evaluators have difficulty describing their work. Through 42 interviews with practicing evaluators, we aimed to better understand evaluators'…

Teacher education is entering an exciting era for professional development schools (PDS). Recent reform efforts have called for increased school-university partnerships (AACTE, 2010; NCATE, 2010), which means that the PDS community may be well poised to offer insight into the necessary boundary-spanning roles and structures needed to support…

This study investigates how the role of the reading specialist (RS) is defined and communicated by principals, and examines to what degree a common understanding of this role exists among teachers, building administrators and reading specialists. The principal's responsibility in defining and communicating role, and the effect these efforts have…

Research on implementation science has increased significantly over the past decade. In particular, psychologists have looked closely at the value and importance of bridging the gap between science and practice. As evidence-based practices (EBPs) become more prevalent, concrete mechanisms are needed to bring these scientifically supported…

We explored the notion of what constitutes literacy, particularly as it pertains to individuals who are blind or with visual impairments, including those that do not use Braille as their primary way to access and produce text. Four groups of stakeholders participated in the study: a) college students who were blind or with visual impairments, b)…

As reports of bullying continue to make headlines, the push to understand the processes behind bullying behaviors continues to rise. While a great deal of research has been conducted to better understand the processes behind and the outcomes of bullying, the majority of these studies are quantitative in nature and very few involve qualitative…

This large-scale national survey of specialized literacy professionals was designed to answer questions about responsibilities, including leadership, and preparation for these roles. Questionnaires, completed by over 2,500 respondents, indicated that respondents had multiple responsibilities that included both instruction of struggling readers and…

The understanding and use of systems has been studied in numerous environments, particularly among leadership and management. However, as yet it is unclear what people at large know about systems thinking, where they gained their knowledge, or how important the role they perceive it to have in their decision making processes. Through a mixed model…

Reviews the problems of classifying gaming techniques and suggests a heuristic approach as one solution. Definitions of simulation, models, role, and game and play are discussed to help develop a classification based on a technique called gaming simulation. (Author/LRW)

A New Zealand study examines the interaction between 18 teachers and their respective classroom environments and actions in an attempt to isolate those factors contributing to each teacher's philosophy concerning the role and responsibility of pedagogy. Nine classroom teachers and nine student teachers are examined for degree of congruence between…

The nature of activities in which institutional researchers are involved in different institutional and organizational settings was studied. In order to characterize the practice of institutional research in various institutional settings, a taxonomy of institutional research activity areas was developed. A 114-item taxonomy was developed that was…

Written for Iowa's school psychologists, the report examines current issues in mental retardation including the problem of definition, court actions affecting the schools, and trends in educational programming, evaluation, and diagnosis. Considered are reasons why mental retardation is difficult to define (such as the lack of an acceptable…

In a technologically advanced society, many of the dialogues take place within the "management information system," or as a result of the "hard data" acquired through such a system, rather than in a public forum. The absence of the Hispanic American from that type of systems dialogue can and does place unnecessary disadvantages on Hispanic…

Volume IV of a four volume report on the results of a national study of the Upward Bound (UBO and Educational Talent Search (ETS) programs focuses on Upward Bound itself. The first three chapters provide a general descriptive background to the study, its design and limitations. The next four chapters focus on: (1) characteristics of the UB staff,…