The field of education is progressively building capacity and tools for producing rigorous research evidence to use in improving educational practice and outcomes. The knowledge base is lacking, however, in explicating the dynamics of research-based decision making and exploring connections between the work of research-practice partnerships and…

The basic position taken in this paper is that the data collected under the Title I evaluation and reporting system can be used more effectively than they have been traditionally in making decisions about Title I programs, and that other types of data can and should be used in shaping and improving Title I programs. This paper combines information…

The study was a descriptive field survey conducted to evaluate the services provided by the Division of Research Evaluation and Data Processing (REDP). An analysis was made to determine whether the information was used by the consumer for the same purposes for which the producers intended. An investigation was conducted to determine if a service…

A study was conducted to identify uses of data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics and to determine the extent and variety of such use. In addition, the study attempted to determine research topics that have been studied through the SASS. Information was collected for the use categories of:…

How can Title I evaluations be improved so that they are more likely to increase the impact of evaluation data on informed actions within the schools? An examination of evaluation practice leads to the conclusion that most LEA practitioners view Title I evaluation as externally imposed and primarily designed to serve state and federal needs. A…

This paper reports the results of a study that investigated factors constraining or encouraging the use of evaluation data by school administrators. It begins with a lengthy analogy about the use of a restaurant guide that is intended to illuminate how constraining or encouraging factors influence the use of evaluation data. The author defines a…

The Michigan Research and Development Utilization (RDU) project set out to increase the appropiate use of the educational products of funded research and development by local school personnel. The project's approach used and fostered the improvement of existing organizational and communication networks rather than attempting to establish new…

Sixty-seven persons responded to a survey regarding their perceptions of the most influential research papers, position papers, research reviews, and books in special education. Strong evidence was not found to conclude that any publications, with the exception of a 1968 paper by L. Dunn, could be designated as seminal works. (JDD)

Although considered by most scholars as minor research, descriptive studies can make important contributions toward the development of simulation game research. Descriptive research studies are often simply case studies of the experiences of persons who have field tested, observed, or participated in a simulation game exercise. This kind of…

Part of a special issue on organizational research utilization, this article analyzes two National Institute of Education programs--the Research and Development Utilization Program and the Experimental Schools Program--and finds that a key reason for nonutilization of research is the "policy vacuum" in which research is conducted.…

This study assessed teacher perceptions of research use and barriers to use. Specific purposes were to: (1) assess the frequency of review of the research literature, actual practice of research, and research dissemination by teachers; (2) describe the level of teachers' training in research methods; (3) describe views of the adequacy of training…

The Australian Council for Educational Research and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research together developed an information dissemination package entitled "SET: Research Information for Teachers." This package consists of articles written in journalistic style that convey information concerning recent research in education to…

The recommendations in this paper are based on the findings of a survey of 32 institutions that had subscribed--for a fee--to receive live via satellite one or more of five staff development teleconferences for school teachers and administrators. The teleconferences, which were one-way video/two-way audio productions, were broadcast during 1985-86…

This interim report analyzes the dissemination and impact of "SET: Research Information for Teachers," a package of articles presenting educational research findings in a journalistic style for distribution to Australian and New Zealand schools and teachers. The report consists of four sections. The first section reviews recent…

This study analyzes the ways in which school boards assess and utilize evaluation data and their attitudes toward testing. Interviews with 27 school board members from 10 districts indicate that board members tend to rely on informal working knowledge over formal information, and on district administrators' judgments. Findings suggest that simple…