The involvement of parents in schools has been legislated in Spain since 1970, with the main activities being parents associations and school councils, but these partnerships do not represent a particularly friendly situation. A research project was carried out through the University of Oviedo, Spain, Department of Education, to create a mechanism…

The School of Education and Professional Studies at Central Connecticut State University was funded to improve student achievement through school-based reform and to enhance the preparation of teachers who work in urban schools. The vehicle for enacting these goals was the creation of professional development schools near the university. One…

This paper describes the process of initiating collaborative inquiry projects at Indiana State University's (ISU) 10 professional development school (PDSs). It discusses what was learned and charts future directions and projected activities. ISU's Collaborative Inquiry Committee/Team (CIC) established a three-phase collaborative inquiry action…

An action research project underway at Marist Sisters' College (a secondary school) in Woolwich (New South Wales, Australia) is the first phase in the evolution of an across-the-school commitment to Cooperative Program Planning and Teaching (CPPT). Project goals include establishing an infrastructure to develop a dynamic methodology for CPPT in…

This study, which examined the curricular decision making of student teachers, links research on the socialization of preservice teacher education with work focusing on socialization in the workplace. Interviews were conducted with four student teachers during their student teaching experience and 1 year after it. Curriculum materials used by the…

Project PREPARE (Professional Renewal and Educational Preparation through Action Research Experiences) is a multi-year, collaborative effort between public schools, a regional intermediate school district, and a university. Its purpose is to develop a collaborative site of inquiry and practice where there is an emphasis on professional…

This paper follows the development of and changes in relationships between university faculty and middle school staff involved in a Professional Development School (PDS) group. Discussion is based on two imaginary "snapshots" contrived from descriptions of the group at their first meeting and again at the year-end meeting. The snapshots reveal a…

This paper outlines a Community-based Participatory Action Research model designed and implemented by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education with two community-based agencies in Milwaukee. In two participatory action learning seminars, research was combined with action to improve the educational experience of…

This paper offers some historical perspective on alternative research traditions and discusses some of the basic principles of community-based research as a tool for partnership development. The authors then describe an example of how Calvin College, a Christian comprehensive liberal arts college has used a multi-disciplinary approach in…

An examination of policy studies in the twentieth century shows that there has been a movement away from an earlier concern for a policy science of democracy. Traditionally, political scientists in the United States have wanted to do good, and for most of them, doing good has meant studying regimes and the state in order to promote liberal…

Designed to promote an institutional environment in which research activities and perspectives are integral to the infrastructure of the community college, this compilation of articles presents strategies for developing and strengthening links between research and decision making. Following a brief introduction to the role of the Community College…

This book contains the proceedings of a seminar that investigated the impact of cognitive and social development on the teaching of science in secondary schools, and the possible ways in which the science curriculum could be a context in which adolescents' development could be positively influenced. Six plenary papers were presented: (1) "Research…

"DITonline" is an independent, daily news website run by students, for students, at the Durban Institute of Technology (DIT) in Durban, South Africa. The website is a collaborative project, emanating from blended teaching and learning environments in the university's journalism department. "DITonline" was launched in August…

This paper attempts to provide a synthesis of the best available knowledge on ways to evaluate the effectiveness of foreiqn language programs. Procedures that have worked well are outlined, an evaluation model is suggested, and a list of specific guidelines, checklists, and other resources is provided. The results of a survey designed to get…

In the fall of 1974, I was invited to serve as a consultant to the Indonesian effort to develop a National Strategy for Non-Formal Education. The brunt of my effort concerned action research for developing and testing an empirical "Community Learning System" designed to link local learning needs with the management-resource-learning…