Professor Carol Vincent gets the 2012 Professorial Lecture series underway with a thought provoking talk drawing on research projects conducted over the last twelve years. The lecture will explore factors identified in current policy, media, and other social and political forums as the risks and responsibilities of contemporary parenting, with a…

The stages of the policy process are examined and explained in terms of the decision making framework. The policy process is comprised of four stages; policy analysis, policy formation, policy decision, and political analysis. Political analysis is the performance of the market analysis needed for a decision. The political weight, rather than the…

Educational research and evaluation have had less impact on policy and decision making in education than hoped for, since research and evaluation represent fundamentally different kinds of endeavor than policy and decision making do. Evaluation has more impact than research because it is a more administrative activity and is more integral to…

The author takes the position that federal support for basic research should be increased. The suggestion is made that the National Institute of Education sponsor a mapping of fields of inquiry in education and endeavor to bring patterns of support in line with ongoing inquiry in education. Increased support for new research and new researchers in…

The rediscovery of qualitative research in education in the 1970s has fanned the debate among proponents of both qualitative and quantitative traditions. This paper demonstrates implications of each research tradition for educational policymaking. Grounded in finding solutions to practical problems, educational research has had two purposes: to…

The debate about possible tradeoffs between quantity and quality in schools has been confused by using available data as a basis for conceptual definitions. Under certain conditions expansion of enrollment or class sizes will have either no influence or a positive influence on the the quality of learning. The conventional wisdom about tradeoffs…

This brief report describes a program of research which seeks to clarify the decision-making process whereby elementary school teachers determine the content of mathematics instruction for their students. The extent to which factors such as student characteristics, policies and practices of the school hierarchy, and advice or requests from others…

The Connecticut Assessment of Educational Progress (CAEP) is designed to provide legislators and educators with information on the strengths and weaknesses of students in 11 curricula areas. In addition, the Educational Evaluation and Remedial Assistance (EERA) program was developed to assess student proficiency in the basic skills of reading,…

This paper examines the recent growth and changes in the discipline of mathematics, as well as current trends in the research on the teaching and learning of mathematics. The focus of this paper is revolution, reform, and research and their effects on school mathematics. The first section deals with revolution with regard to the teaching of…

This paper addresses two questions relevant to practices and policies in early childhood education (ECE). The first question addressed is, Given the worldwide focus on ECE, what are the priorities in practice-oriented research in school life? Educators struggle with the issue of whether research makes much difference to practice. It is suggested…

A survey of institutional researchers at 243 New England colleges and universities examined respondents' (N=127) views on the current and projected roles of institutional research. Results document limited resources particularly in small institutions. Also, a majority of institutional researchers reported that they were engaged extensively in…

This study compared the perceptions of state policy makers and representatives of public higher education institutions about how mandated student assessment practices affect the teaching and learning processes. Three states with mandated assessment policies were examined in depth; the states varied in geographic region, authority structure, and…

The issues of development, culture, education, policy, and strategy denote a global approach and raise questions regarding the contribution of education to cultural development. The misunderstood concept of development emerged from the 1960s decolonization and remains further away from the social reality in which international organizations work.…

This study examines a sample of reports submitted by publishers to the Florida Department of Education for school textbook revisions to be adopted during 1985-86. The study determines (1) state Learner Verification and Revision (LVR) procedures used by publishers, (2) problems reflected in the reports, and (3) recommendations on the conduct and…

Critics of ability grouping argue that, although the system permits instructional modification according to pupil ability level, it has harmful social and academic consequences for students in lower groups. This investigation asks two questions about the effects of grouping: First, does a student's within-class group rank affect his or her…