ERIC Number: ED321402
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1990-Apr
Pages: 53
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Linking Resarch and Practice for Site-Based School Renewal.
Castle, Shari; And Others
An analysis of the IBM/NEA Mastery in Learning (MIL) school renewal system, an electronic network that involves school faculties in collegial interaction with researchers and other educators in school reform, is the purpose of this paper. Developed by IBM (International Business Machines) and NEA (National Education Association), the MIL is a site-based, faculty-led reform in which 26 schools participate nationwide. Although local faculties design their own agendas, the MIL project design specifies standard phases of implementation. Specific research questions are concerned with assessing changes in program use and content, the influence on interaction between research and practice, and the impact on school reform. Data were collected from computer log files, printouts of network papers, and telephone interviews with 44 focal participants. Conclusions point to the need for local support, an organized network structure, improved time and access, provision of participant incentives, and attention to substance. Computer network systems provide the "medium" for activities; however, they must meet participants' needs and support their work. Appendices include statistical tables of the data, a model of the school renewal computer network research design, and a copy of the survey instrument. (18 references) (LMI)
Descriptors: College School Cooperation, Communications, Computers, Databases, Decision Making, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Information Dissemination, Information Networks, Information Services, Information Sources, Information Systems, Information Technology, Research Utilization, School Based Management, School Restructuring, Theory Practice Relationship
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Tests/Questionnaires; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Boston, MA, April 16-20, 1990).