The articles of this theme issue explore the use of educational research and whether the American Educational Research Association should play more of an advocacy role in the educational policymaking process. The challenge is one of expanding debate and discussion on educational research beyond the research community to the policy process. (SLD)

A growing number of researchers are questioning the usefulness of reform strategies that do not provide teachers with specific information about how to implement changes. The replication of successful programs depends on giving teachers the tools they need to carry out reforms by explaining them in detail. (SLD)

Supervisors from state vocational rehabilitation agencies described their information resources, and practices. In preparing proposals they rate facts from their own or similar agencies as most potent. They relied even more heavily upon personal experiences. Suggestions are made for better linking state supervisors to current rehabilitation…

The theme developed in this paper is that major improvements could be made in the research acquisition and utilization process for preservice teacher educators and that this improvement would constitute important faculty development. Efforts to improve the way professors acquire and utilize research on teaching must be based on two assumptions:…

Dissemination of educational knowledge to practitioners can best be improved by creating contexts in which practitioners are able to participate in the research and in the interpretation of the knowledge gained through the research. It is noted that the distinctions between researchers and practitioners are beginning to break down, largely as a…

The influence of biological science research on the development of physical education curriculum is examined in this paper. The social construction of scientific knowledge is described as occurring in the selection of problems to be studied, the collection and interpretation of data, the dissemination of results, and the educational uses of…

In 1976 and 1977, the New York region team of the Documentation and Technical Assistance Project (DTA), Center for New Schools (Chicago, Illinois), conducted 12 seminars on major issues concerning school improvement, based on observations by documentation teams in nine school community sites. The information is then disseminated to technical…

Literature on vocational education research and development (R&D) was reviewed to determine the distribution, utilization, and impact of R&D information and products. The literature indicated both slightly and strongly negative findings on the dissemination of vocational education R&D products. Many of the studies described strategies…

A description is given of the West Virginia Microcomputer Educational Network in the context of excellence in education and how it enables educators in schools, colleges/universities, and the State Department of Education to access and input to an information base of research findings, successful practices, and operational programs related to…

By 1969-70 it was clear to a number of development communities at both the state and federal level that education didn't need more programs, but more programs that work. Research and development products that address a wide variety of local needs were available. Over the past four or five years, more research and development funding has been used…

Summary information is provided about the school sites that participated in the National Education Association's three-year inservice education project. The process by which over 600 inservice education materials were identified and screened for inclusion in the project's resource base is described, and the development of a dissemination system to…

The use of graphics as an effective method of data communication is discussed for various types of research reports in higher education. The need to display information in a concise format and the importance of the stratification of data are stressed. The authors illustrate and discuss some of the types of graphs that can be used to communicate…

Change may result from product advocacy, laissez-faire competition, or change-process advocacy. The National Institute of Education (NIE) has adopted the last posture, whereby the agency advocates a strategy of implementing change by sponsoring a sequence of activities including need and capability assessments, trial of alternatives, evaluation…

An analysis of the findings of a 1973 survey of research/information needs for promoting innovation in community colleges is presented. This survey was made of institutions which had previously expressed interest in information assistance. Analyses are made by topic area, region and topics by region. These tentative conclusions were reached: (1) a…

New models of research and training combined with dissemination techniques can contribute to relevant social change. The Ecological Psychology Program at Michigan State University, a graduate training program which focuses on model building and implementation research, offers ideas on the plausability of social programming. The process would…