This loose-leaf compendium includes three types of brief research summaries: "topical synthesis,""close-ups," and "snapshots." The single topical synthesis, by Kathleen Cotton, is entitled "Teaching Composition: Research on Effective Practices." Closeups consist of brief definitions, essential research…

This article describes a multistep method for identifying effective teacher-developed instructional procedures and translating them for wide-scale use. The method employs both objective and naturalistic assessments of academic gain and engagement and was used to identify effective practices of teachers of 59 fourth- and fifth-grade students with…

This report provides a conceptual framework for guiding decisions regarding the administrative delivery and course content of the freshman orientation seminar. The proposed framework relies heavily on empirical evidence generated by college-level research in the areas of student retention, student learning and academic achievement, and student…

To assist in local school improvement, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) has developed an approach in which teams of local educational leaders are made aware of the results of effective schooling research and are trained in the processes of change and improvement. Research reviews have shown specific elements of schooling at the…

The mission of the Mid-continental Regional Education Laboratory (McREL) is to improve practice and increase academic performance in the schools of the seven-state mountain-plains region. McREL's principal approach to the dissemination and utilization of the effective schools research has been training teachers to use research. Based on the…

Increasing diversity among student populations and shifts in special education delivery systems have combined to create a tremendous need for interventions that can help children with learning and behavior problems achieve success in the regular classroom. Noting that many of the published, empirically validated interventions are relatively…

These proceedings consist of 26 presentations. They include, in alphabetical order by author, "Time and Distance: Crucial Factors in Selection of Training and Vocation by Re-entry Women" (Cynthia Bagley), "Using Learner Surveys to Enhance Continuing Education Programs" (Carol Brown), "Designing Inservice Training as a Learning System: The Case of…