Profiles a few of the affinities between pragmatists and scientific realists, and indicates a few dramatic differences dividing these schools of thought. Pragmatic research is driven by anticipated consequences. Scientific realists hope to find the truth about what the world is really like. (SLD)

Responds to Floden and Klinzing's article, "What Can Research on Teacher Thinking Contribute to Teacher Preparation? A Second Opinion." Agrees with it, but discusses questions raised but not answered. Questions what expertise in teaching is, how this expertise is communicated, and who these experts are. (JS)

Presents excerpts from a symposium in Charlottesville (VA) at which researchers, policymakers, and journalists discussed educational issues and the relationship of research to reform. Discusses issues concerning communication problems between groups and why it is important to keep talking with each other. Explores ways of improving the…

Guidelines to help ensure that educational research is meaningful and important include (1) have confidence in your own conviction and methods; (2) remember that the conduct of research is an artistic activity; and (3) try to situate the inquiry in a social and historical context to increase its meaning. (SLD)

Wilson's stance on research and teaching practices leads to the conclusion that only those with certain conceptions of teaching and research can be effective researcher/teachers. It will be more beneficial to the field of educational research to believe that a wide variety of practices may be appropriate for researcher/teachers. (SLD)

Surveys 32 officials of federal agencies and educational researchers to express historically grounded judgments on issues in educational research, including the poor reputation of the field. Criticisms that recur are that it does not pay off, that the community is in disarray, and that the field is politicized. (SLD)

Discusses declining Federal support for educational programs under the Reagan administration and identifies inconsistencies in Federal arguments to support current educational funding policy. Challenges researchers to provide an analytical framework within which policymakers concerned with the financing and direction of education would be…

There are currently the following types of teacher thinking: (1) Preconception and Implicit Theories; (2) Planning and Reflection; and (3) Dilemmas and Uncertainty. Teacher educators should consult with researchers and ask better questions of themselves and their arts in order to better prepare teachers. (Author/BJV)

Describes evaluation experiences in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, School District. Suggests that use of evaluation results can be maximized through a systems approach that involves developing and monitoring different performance indicators, and tailoring educational practice by focusing corrective action on areas where performance is found to be…

Explores reasons for the tenuous relationship between educational research and educational practice. Suggests changes in research and policy to bring educational research directly to bear on educational problems. The major problem is that researchers are searching for variables that relate to improved outcomes, whereas educational innovators are…

Describes the work of the Division of Innovation and Development of the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The following are four areas of program concentration: (1) professional practice issues; (2) education of individuals with disabilities; (3) educational technology; and (4) emotionally disturbed…

Identifies important criteria for assessing the quality of educational research and applies these 20 identified criteria to 2 recent international comparative studies in education, the Second International Science Study and the first International Assessment of Educational Progress. The major types of criteria are utility, propriety, and accuracy.…

Presents a code of ethics to guide educational research, grouped in the following categories: (1) responsibilities to the field; (2) research populations, educational institutions, and the public; (3) intellectual ownership; (4) editing, reviewing, and appraising research; (5) sponsors, policymakers, and other users of research; and (6) students…

Experiences of the author support the contention that professors and practitioners in education face common dilemmas, and share the practice of teaching, but are not bound by any professional community. Professional communities based on commonalities in teaching can be constructed for those in higher education and the public schools. (SLD)