This article proposes an analytical consideration for social capital research in education by exploring a pragmatic combination of social network analysis (SNA) and symbolic interactionism (SI) as a research method. The article first delineates the theoretical linkages of social capital theory with SNA and SI. The article then discusses how SNA…

This article is an expanded version of the 2008 American Educational Research Association's Presidential Address. The purpose of the article is to describe the geography of opportunity in two metropolitan regions of the United States that are engaged in significant efforts to transform their local political economies. Both metropolitan regions…

To ensure accurate interpretation of research findings, researchers should report details about their research design, data collection method, and response rates when presenting findings from survey research. A review of 100 peer-reviewed articles reporting the results of survey research on K-12 schools with principals as the designated…

Describes the development of multisite qualitative research (studies that address the same question in several settings and use similar research procedures in each setting) and its use in educational research. Presents the results of a survey of 25 multisite qualitative educational studies to highlight the design's institutional and methodological…

Lesson study, a Japanese form of professional development that centers on collaborative study of live classroom lessons, has spread rapidly in the United States since 1999. Drawing on examples of Japanese and U.S. lesson study, we propose that three types of research are needed if lesson study is to avoid the fate of so many other once-promising…

Examines the ethical considerations involved in publishing the names of teachers, schools, and districts participating in research studies. Concludes that teacher/collaborators who forego the protection of anonymity may be vulnerable to recrimination from colleagues and administrators. (FMW)

Traces the development of teacher education research, discussing five segments of recent scholarship and their contributions to teacher education policy and practice: survey research, case studies, conceptual and historical research, studies of learning to teach, and examinations of the nature and impact of teacher education activities, including…

Argues that the clinical trial paradigm is the wrong model for educational research. Interpretive case study research suggests that the best thing policymakers can do for educational improvement is to give local educators and school communities more freedom and funding to work out their own ways to improve practice. (SLD)

Presents the story of a research team's efforts to conduct a multisite case study of 10 racially mixed schools engaged in trying to reduce ability grouping or tracking. When case boundaries are coconstructed with the help of respondents they become a finding of interest as well as a methodological approach. (SLD)

Explores the term "story" as it defines method and object of inquiry in teaching and learning, and explores story as a mode of knowing. Considers the political context of the story and issues of gender, power, ownership, and voice and the contributions of stories to case studies. (SLD)