Recognizing the need for scientific fidelity and balanced representation in the evidence that informs public policy, this study investigates technical and issue bias in 43 policy briefs and state handbooks that provided information about the use of Student Learning Objectives to evaluate teachers' performance. The author uses multiple qualitative…

Policy agencies are implementing strategies to increase the use of research in policy decisions. This paper examines the evidence about the effectiveness of these strategies. We conducted an extensive search focused on population health policy and programmes. We classified 106 papers meeting study criteria into research type (conceptual,…

Reviews policy development and research trends relating to work, welfare, and AFDC. Examines the persistence over time of the values of capitalism, liberalism, and positivism, which have resulted in the work ethic and influenced the AFDC. Outlines a research agenda to counter these influences. (Author/JAC)

Discusses the use of social science knowledge about environmental stressors in the making of public policy. (EF)

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…

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)

The popularity of using qualitative, or ethnographic, research methods to improve educational practices is increasing. However, an examination of how research findings are translated into policy is necessary to assess accurately the extent to which this goal can be realized. This paper assesses the efficiency of four strategies for increasing…

An examination of the effects of research on social policy, focusing on its impact on handicapped children and infants, discusses the influence of research on mainstreaming, Head Start, deinstitutionalization, and personnel preparation; presents steps leading to the formulation of social policy; and notes the reciprocal influence of research and…

To better understand policy formation, evaluators should be aware of the perspectives from which legislators view evaluators. Illustrations of the impact of evaluation and research projects on policy are provided. (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA 94104, single issue, $6.95.) (Author/GDC)

Studies on the relationship between research and development (R&D) and public policymaking processes are reviewed. Attention is directed to R&D utilization in Sweden and other countries. The publications are grouped into four categories: policymaking and knowledge utilization, research policy, higher education policy, and knowledge…

Millions of young children in the United States are cared for daily by someone other than their parents, and a growing number are cared for in child-care centers. This research and policy brief, a quarterly synthesis of issues addressed by investigators and affiliates of the National Center for Early Development & Learning, focuses on quality…

Examines the factors affecting the diffusion of educational assessment studies done in four countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillipines, Thailand). The author concludes that educational research designs in developing countries must include mechanisms for information diffusion to the public and policy-makers to insure both short and long-term…

Research on teaching, learning, and schooling, while extremely helpful, does not translate automatically into prescriptions for change, which requires support, trust, and adaptation rather than inflexible mandates that imply distrust. (CB)

Results of evaluation research studies, even those that are meticulously designed and carefully executed, often are not implemented. This article examines some of the critical factors that mediate between the carrying out of evaluation research and the utilization of findings. To illustrate these factors, two case studies are analyzed. (Author/EGS)

The authors review the literature in special education which reveals the extent to which research has influenced the formation and implementation of social policy related to the education of the handicapped. (SB)