This sourcebook synthesizes findings from studies on school improvement programs. The prefatory overview emphasizes key themes and issues addressed in the seven papers that comprise the body of the document, discusses the role of staff development, and examines the process of translating research into policy. The papers summarize the findings of…

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…

The paper deals with the contribution of empirical psychology to the problems of instruction and proposes a conceptual framework to promote helpful interactions between experimenters and teachers of children with learning difficulties. Both groups share a common concern, the definition of tasks by testing instructions in action. (Author/DB)

Presents a critical rejoinder to Stedman's article that dismisses the validity of school effectiveness guidelines. Stedman has misused school effectiveness research findings, for the data actually support these characteristics. Stedman's generalized alternatives lack adequate supportive evidence. (CJH)

Presents common attributes of effective evaluation systems, which are drawn from studies in Arizona, Michigan, and Vermont. Attributes include participant acceptance of validity, participant understanding of system mechanics and rationale, properly trained evaluators, a variety of evaluation methods, and evaluation as a district priority. (CJH)

Increasingly, researchers are acknowledging the importance of administrators in the school improvement process. The results of one research conference that focused on the high school are reported. (CJH)

Factors which appear to positively affect student motivation are discussed. Sixteen suggestions from research for motivating students are listed, and references are included. (MNS)

Argues that teacher effectiveness depends upon classroom social interactions, the functional use of subjects and knowledge, and recognition of students' understanding. Discusses four examples of how potentially useful research on teaching was misapplied in practice: direct instruction, time on task, the Chicago Mastery Learning Program, and…

Develops a model for analyzing the behavior of commissions and discusses the role of social science in the model. Uses the model to examine Boston's Safe Schools Commission, with data on how social science was used by the commission being used to suggest several modifications to the model. (Author/JN)

Effective teaching capsules were devised to disseminate current research findings to public school facilities. This method of staff development reports on effective teaching methods and subject matter information. (DF)

Examines the state of educational policy analysis, discussing the field's history, conceptual approaches to policy, areas of policy that have been studied, and methodological issues. Concludes with speculation on the future of policy research. (MCG)

This paper explains the mission of the Institute of Education Sciences and outlines the activities the Institute is undertaking. It also shares the reflections of the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences on the fit, and sometimes misfit, between the current activities of the education research community and the needs of practitioners…

This brief paper summarizes findings from research on effective school practices that reduce violence and frequency of behavior problems. It finds that research on schools supports a comprehensive three-level approach to prevention as the most efficient and cost-effective way to reduce violence. Such an approach involves first, a schoolwide…

This paper reviews research on the classification of students with learning disability (LD). It first examines the evolution of LD definitions and the evidence for three components of LD classification: discrepancy, heterogeneity, and exclusion. It suggests that classification hypotheses involving discrepancy and exclusion have weak validity and…

The focus of this book is major educational innovations, that is, programs and curricula that have achieved widespread influence. It presents such fundamentals as definitions, descriptions, theoretical and empirical bases, critical analyses, and conclusions from published research. (The book discusses only published research.) Titles of the 15…