The focus of this book is on the planning of a comprehensive system of staff development and the governance, design, and implementation of specific programs within that system. Much of the book consists of recommendations that are based on the study of a wide range of staff development programs, research on teachers and teaching, information about…

A survey was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) to assess the usefulness of the approach being employed at the college to provide decision makers with institutional research information which involves the large scale distribution of abstracts and/or full research reports to faculty and administrators. Surveys were distributed to all…

The purpose of the symposium is to investigate those factors that obstruct and those factors that facilitate the knowledge utilization process for school reform in general and Mastery In Learning Project schools in particular. The Mastery in Learning Project (MILP) is the National Education Association's site-based, faculty-led school reform…

This paper analyzes some of the characteristics of research on teacher thinking as it relates to educational policy. An introductory section discusses the problems inherent in relating research on teacher thinking to educational policy, based on the difference between conclusion-oriented research (which is appropriate for teacher thinking) and…

This paper is a reassessment of an original research project (Oliver, 1980) that analyzed the way teachers had decided on lateral job change (i.e., change from one teaching position to another in the same district without a significant increase in pay). The purpose of the reassessment is to examine how the results obtained from the original…

A professional development program was designed and implemented to help teachers gain new research knowledge and skills. An interactive research strategy was used to bring teachers, researchers, and staff development personnel together as a team to examine classroom problems and to plan a means to disseminate research findings. This process…

Colleague and student ratings were gathered on a group of 477 instructors and then compared to the instructor's research productivity and academic rank. Colleague and student ratings were not found to be significantly related to the instructor's research productivity. However, colleague rating was significantly related to academic rank, indicating…

An evaluation of the impact of an inservice course given at North East London Polytechnic indicates that teachers do not usually continue to investigate their practices, using procedures taught in the course, on returning to their schools. Questions about inservice education in general are raised by this evaluation. (Authors/PP)

The Consumer-Validation approach to applying educational research in classroom settings is described. The model, developed in Murfreesboro (Tennessee), provides a way to disseminate research findings as well as to allow teachers to test the validity of findings drawn from classroom research. (CJ)

Focuses on teacher variables that account for the lack of initiation and continuation of research-based instructional strategies. Highlights teachers' overarching conceptions of teaching, subject-area knowledge, and sense of self-efficacy. Recommendations for promoting teacher self-efficacy are provided, including training teachers to deal with a…

Reports on a study by the Evidence-based Practice in Science Education (EPSE) Research Network that explores practitioners' views on the nature, use, and potential of science education research. (DDR)

A survey of 50 teachers of gifted programs (grades K-9) found they had familiarity with at least one or more theory-based models for gifted identification or education. When asked if they follow a specific model, 26 of the teachers stated they did not. Ranking of program goals varied by grades. (Contains references.) (CR)

A study analyzed the instructional reading methods and reading assessment practices employed by 800 K-12 special education teachers. Results found that teachers are selecting reading instructional techniques that have research support from the literature, but are not including nontraditional assessment procedures, such as curriculum based…

Over the last 20 years there has been a surge of activity in research on teaching. Researchers and teacher educators have also debated the merits of this research for teachers in terms of its value and the ways research can influence practice. Controversy continues about the kind and degree of influence research can have on teachers and teacher…

This final report of a reading instruction study examined teachers' use of research-based practices when teaching reading comprehension, as well as the barriers that prevent teachers from using such practices. Six schools in two school districts in a southwestern urban area were selected for intensive study; 39 teachers of grades 4-6 participated.…