Records kept by teachers and data collected by trained observers were examined as alternatives for measuring allocated and engaged instructional time in elementary school classes. The teacher ratings of student engagement did not correlate with observer ratings of engagement, but a high correlation between teacher ratings of engagement and student…

The five major societal changes in the past twenty-five years which have had a major impact on education services are (1) our transition from a rural, agrarian society to an urban, technological society; (2) changes in occupational and employment structures; (3) education services have become a major enterprise; (4) expansion of Federal and State…

The relationship of the foreign language teacher and the researcher is explored in this report which focuses predominately on three main aspects: (1) locating research, (2) evaluating research, and (3) conducting research. An overview of the role of the teacher as potential researcher introduces the principal sections. Distinctions between…

This publication deals with the topic of staff development for multicultural education and examines how schools should prepare their staffs for implementing an education that is truly multicultural. The document begins ("Tell Me What You've Learned So Far") by reporting on a staff development research study conducted by Christine E.…

This paper examines the use of First Class conferencing software to create a virtual culture among research students and as a vehicle for supervision and advising. Topics discussed include: computer-mediated communication and research; entry to cyberculture, i.e., research students' induction into the research community; supervision and the…

This report analyzes the relationship between educational policymaking and educational practice in schools and classrooms by drawing lessons from recent attempts to reform schools with policy. Educational reform operates on the following loosely connected levels: (1) policy; (2) administration; and (3) practice. Policy can set the conditions for…

The 18 member institutions of the Council for Educational Development and Research, Inc., constitute a national resource for conducting high-quality research and development and related technical assistance. Created in the mid-sixties by the federal government, and working in all 50 states, these institutions maintain multidisciplinary staffs and…

The Training Program for Urban School Research and Evaluation Personnel was a highly selective program for preparing partially-trained students for research work in urban education. The University of Chicago held a proposal competition for students in the Department of Education and related departments. From among those submitting research…

This text is designed to enable educators to design, conduct, and report research and evaluation in a way that transforms special education by addressing the needs of persons with disabilities as heterogeneous, cultural groups. The book explores ways to adapt those research methods to the special education context by providing a framework for…

Environmental education research designs will either exclude or include voices outside the dominant culture. Examining the questions we ask and the data collection techniques we use may enable us to design research that is more sensitive to marginalized voices. This article puts forward several methodological considerations that either draw out…

This article describes research with schoolteachers using participatory methods and reflective practice. These approaches have been used to enable teachers to establish their practice needs in relation to education for sustainability (EfS) and also maintain the integrity of their subject disciplines. The participatory methods are derived from…

A curriculum project is described which illustrates the use of collaborative inquiry, a cooperative effort between university researchers and educational practitioners. Four tenets of collaborative inquiry are outlined. (1) Researchers and school practitioners work together on all phases of the effort. (2) The effort is focused on real world as…

Too many educational researchers have been too attentive to innovations and too inattentive to how educators organize to cope with them. The use of anthropological concepts and methods in analyzing the educator subculture could improve planning and implementation of innovations. A study of the attempt to develop a variant of a planning,…

In order to make policy decisions, educators must evaluate educational research proposals and projects. Findings immediately related to practice are often inadequate, omitting the theoretical establishment of principles by which we can explain and predict the phenomena of our world. These theoretical linkages to the practical world of…

Data on the characteristics, information needs, and information dissemination patterns of actual and potential users of educational information were gathered through field interviews with persons representing a variety of educational roles and geographical locations (Vol. I) as well as through a nationwide mail questionnaire survey (Vol. II).…