For many researchers and developers in information and communication technology in education (ICTE), the transfer of knowledge from research into educational practice is slow and limited. For most researchers concerned with changing practice, the failure to make a significant impact is attributed to those who practice in education, whilst those in…

The accountability imperative requires schools to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs. Florida answered the accountability imperative by instituting statewide objective assessments and assigning grades to schools. The latter move led to several initiatives concerning the practices that improve schools in Florida. This article…

Investigating University-School Partnerships: A Volume in Professional Development School Research, the fourth book in the PDS Research Series developed by the same editors, includes a collection of organized papers that represent the best and latest examples of practitioner thinking, research, and program design and evaluation in the field at the…

In an effort to improve spelling instruction in the elementary and middle schools, this booklet presents answers to 12 of the most commonly asked questions about spelling, based on a review of spelling research and a polling of authorities in the field. The booklet answers questions such as: (1) What is the most important single factor in spelling…

A project for studying ways to optimize utilization of evaluation products in public schools is reported. The results indicate that the negative picture of use prevalent in recent literature stems from the unrealistic expectation that local decision-makers will behave in a classically rational manner. Such a view ignores the political settings of…

The activities of the various parts of The National Foundation for Education Research are described in this article. This foundation is divided into a Publishing Company; a Guidance and Assessment Service; and an Information Division, which itself is divided into a press office, newsletter, exhibitions office, information office, library, and…

This volume presents a collection of papers and research reports by young black psychologists. These papers were presented at the Third Conference on Empirical Research in Black Psychology, whose purpose was to promote a research orientation in the field of black psychology. The papers deal with issues such as the following: race and social…

In this response to Diana Slaughter-Defoe's, "What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black?," Mary Beth Gasman comments on the lecture from the perspective of someone doing research in the field of higher education. Gasman comments that Slaughter-Defoe's understanding, and interpretation of past research, especially the Moynihan Report…

The basic position taken in this paper is that the data collected under the Title I evaluation and reporting system can be used more effectively than they have been traditionally in making decisions about Title I programs, and that other types of data can and should be used in shaping and improving Title I programs. This paper combines information…

The paper suggests the application of a research and development (R and D) process in an ongoing project at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Four phases/stages of the process are discussed: research, development, implementation, and maintenance. It is pointed out that the objective of the project has been to train normal hearing…

The vast amount of literature on curriculum and instructional design does not establish a clear frame of reference to help teachers utilize and operationalize concepts and information. Four specific problem areas are of special concern in the literature: (1) the terminology and definitions are confusing; (2) the place of the classroom teacher is…

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development and David Ausubel's assimilation theory of learning are explicated and selected research involving both theories is reviewed in this paper. The two theories are compared on selected dimensions to demonstrate that they are compatible and that, in conjunction with one another, they form a strong…