In view of the concerns for making connections between research and practice, improving art teaching, and refocusing and teaming in research, a new strategy for research and practice is in order. We need to move from practice to research, as well as from the traditional direction of research to practice. (Author)

Use of "best practices" in vocational special needs education can provide efficient and effective learning for students with learning difficulties. Barriers to their use include association with particular groups, aptitude treatment interaction, attitudes, and lack of information. Closing the research-practice gap can improve use of best…

One cannot begin considering the topic of this colloquium without asking, why twenty years? Why not two hundred? Two hundred years ago, Silvestre Franois Lacroix was about to be named chief officer of the Commission Executive de L'Instruction Publique. Out of that experience, together with his long career in instruction, especially as professor of…

This bibliography of works cited in the "World Yearbook of Education 1985" on the topic of educational research is divided into four sections. The first covers 264 chapters and articles published in books and booklets by individual authors. The second lists 73 publications issued by official and corporate bodies. The third includes 163…

Organized on the premise that present educational research is not meeting the expectations of those responsible for educational policies and practices, this book reflects the thinking of seventeen eminent educationalists who have critically examined the existing arrangements for organizing and carrying out research and have offered recommendations…

Reforms of educational practice arise from attractiveness of new ideas rather than from research findings because researchers import frameworks from other disciplines rather than using actual classroom phenomena as a basis for conceptual apparatuses and methods. (JW)

Defining research as systematic, self-critical inquiry open to public criticism and/or empirical test, the author considers the relevance of scientific, historical, and educational research to practice. He asserts that teachers must be involved in educational research and that researchers must justify themselves to practitioners, not practitioners…

Cites Edward Lee Thorndike's influence on the sizable chasm between educational research and practice. Notes recent progress in improving research use (action research, teacher researchers) but suggests there is still far to go. (SK)

This article describes a process that teachers can use to translate information in research studies into practical lesson plans. Examples are drawn from the self-determination literature to illustrate how to identify the objective of the study, setting and materials, content taught, teaching procedure, and method of evaluation. (Contains…

Presents a format for assisting educators in translating educational research into classroom interventions. Steps include identifying the problem, seeking a variety of sources, reviewing information, selecting primary sources, distinguishing between theory and opinion, reviewing the parts of a research article, and translating the research into…

Describes the Japanese approach to educational improvement called "research lessons," actual classroom lessons taught to a teacher's own students but observed by other teachers, recorded, and discussed. Outlines the impact of research lessons as examples of good educational practice that can be disseminated throughout Japan. (SLD)

The purposes of this article are to underscore the importance of using research-based practices to support the needs of all learners in general education settings and to provide teachers with strategies for obtaining research-based practices. Students with diverse learning needs require that teachers utilize more effective and efficient practices…

The current high-stakes accountability environment has created strong incentives for educators to systematically collect and use data to inform instructional decisions. This article examines the strategies employed by three urban school districts to promote data use for instructional improvement and their effect on administrator, principal, and…

THREE PROBLEM AREAS ARE EXPLORED IN THIS SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH UTILIZATION IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION--(1) INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BEHAVIORAL SCIENTISTS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, (2) PSYCHOLOGICAL LINKAGES BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATOR'S SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND HIS ACTIONS, AND (3) THE LACK OF CONNECTION BETWEEN…

There is a dichotomy of opinion regarding the merits and feasibility of ability grouping, and the issue is unsettled after much research and study. This research summary discusses grouping practices, the place of ability grouping in over-all school organization, schools' capacity for ability grouping, and the pros and cons of ability grouping,…