This paper offers a brief outline of current Canadian research contributing to the understanding of quality in early child care and education, and highlights, as a means of demonstrating elements of high quality, a range of early childhood care and education programs, policies, and practices offered in Canada. Three separate components of Canadian…

A project team from the Program Evaluation and Methodology Division of the U.S. General Accounting Office was asked to review recent research on education and summarize the findings for policymakers. This paper captures the team's reflections on the utility of education research for policymakers and others interested in improving schools. The…

This paper rebuts four common assumptions underlying criticisms of higher education policy scholarship and policy making. The first assumption, policymakers agree on the nature of policy problems and therefore on the kinds of research needed, is rebutted by noting that actually, there is no way to identify and research all possible future policy…

This paper describes the use of educational research and development resources by practitioners within the National Education Association's Mastery in Learning Project (MIL), a 5-year national second wave reform effort. Four research questions were addressed: (1) What are practitioners' information needs over time in the context of research-based…

The potential overlap of teaching and scholarship (research) in mathematics education is described. It is suggested that educational or content research results can play an important role in an undergraduate methods course for elementary mathematics. The typical student is a prospective elementary school teacher, usually with a minimal background…

This document contains six papers from the ninth World Conference of Therapeutic Communities that highlight research on therapeutic communities (TC) and discuss how to apply research findings in practical ways. Papers include: (1) "TC Research: Overview & Implications" (George De Leon); (2) "Emerging Cross-Cultural TC…

For many practitioners, reading about or doing research is not seen as a viable means by which to learn about human behavior. In reaction to the non-utility view of research, a number of writers have questioned the validity of the scientist-practitioner model, or reinterpreted the model, or asked psychologists to reconsider the philosophy of…

Four specific purposes were addressed in this study: (1) to identify models of classroom management and instructional management used by effective and less effective teachers; (2) to compare and contrast these models; (3) to compare and contrast a normative model of classroom management used in management training workshops with the models…

To investigate whether researchers are developing empirically-based public relations research efforts, and whether such efforts could be considered useful to public relations practitioners, a study conducted a content analysis of all articles published in "Public Relations Review" from 1977 through 1987. Articles (196 were coded in all)…

The adequate way to discuss problems of vocational education more generally is that taken by Resnick (1987). She feels that the relationship between general and vocational education, and their respective and common aims, problems, and restrictions, must be outlined primarily substantially and not only organizationally. Resnick tries to combine the…

A study examined the situation-specific program development strategies used in 47 different settings in the southwestern United States from January 1987 to January 1988. Specialized and elite interviews were administered to program developers to identify the approaches that are being used and to determine how they relate to the approaches…

In this paper, action research is examined as a quintessential example of the relocation of the study of teaching from laboratory to classroom. Selected problematics in its practice, including the aims of inquiry, the nature of collaboration, and the anticipated audience for its outcomes are defined as inevitable challenges to be confronted.…

A research study used the strategy of practitioner consensus to identify the common success criteria and standards that are used in the evaluation of developmental/remedial programs in New York State two-year colleges. The study also designed an evaluation model for these programs and determined its use over time. Using a survey and an interview…

It has been shown that providing meaningful information to parents helps them to make better child rearing decisions. Considerable literature indicates that parents will often alter their behavior when they see that improved relationships with their children result. Psychologists have an important role to play in communicating to the public that…

This paper presents a historical overview of the use of action research in education and describes the basic assumptions and expectations that continue to characterize collaborative research projects today. Action research was initiated in the 1930's by Kurt Lewin and adapted by educators in the 1940's. Interest in action research declined between…