Teachers and school leaders have been pressed to use data over the last few decades, and that pressure is increasing. Yet while data use has become a popular term among educators and politicians, evidence demonstrates that teachers and school leaders still struggle with making sense of data in the service of improved learning outcomes. To do this…

This appendix accompanies "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better. A Large-Scale Study of Middle Grades Practices and Student Outcomes. Initial Research Report." This appendix contains the full bibliography of all research and policy documents consulted during the development of the ten research domains and three…

Using data to redesign instruction is a means of increasing student achievement. Educators in Camden County (Georgia) Schools have used data from benchmark testing since 1999. They hired a commercial vendor to design a benchmark test that is administered four times a year and use the data to generate subject-area reports that can be further…

Finding time for teams to work in schools is both a necessity and a responsibility. If educators are sincere about efforts to improve student learning, leaders must take responsibility for providing team time for teachers and a structure in which they are able to work collaboratively. The Papillion-La Vista (Nebraska) Public Schools took to heart…

Presents a case study of a curriculum project in an Ontario school board to illustrate how researchers can intervene appropriately in the policymaking activities of practicing educators. After discussing and rejecting two traditional models of involvement, illustrates and justifies two practical principles to guide researchers in these situations.…

Describes a general design for high school student tours of museums based on research concerning effective tours and student interests. Summarizes one such tour in which students assumed the role of anthropologists when viewing art. (DS)

Education currently faces a crisis in curriculum reform which presents a danger to pedagogical programs. Changes in teacher education programs should be based on research and should be accomplished by a reflective and rational process. Methods of reform are explored. (DF)

The American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Special Interest Group (SIG) on "Creation and Utilization of Curriculum Knowledge" was formed in 1971 by researchers whose work focused upon the advancement of knowledge in curriculum. The interest area for this SIG centered on generic knowledge about: (1) curriculum definitions; (2)…

Discusses changes in educational research methods over recent decades. Explores changing views of teaching and learning and what the changes mean for assessment and the content and delivery of the curriculum. Concludes that, to be effective, educational research must be relevant to education and perceived as such by educators. (SG)

The focus of this document is upon zetetics, the science of research and artistic activity, and its role: to study the origin, growth, and transitions of human knowledge as a whole. The choice and allocation of subject matter within the curriculum is one of the central domains of expertise required of the general curriculum specialist. No matter…

Drawing on philosophy, curriculum theory, and studies of teacher education, this paper aims to reconstruct the implementation question in teacher thinking research. To exemplify the argument and show what is entailed in curriculum deliberation for teaching teachers, the paper examines a particular study of teacher thinking, Dan C. Lortie's…

This article describes a model for action research which encourages collaboration between researchers and teachers, especially in curricular research and development. This model encourages teachers to act as researchers. A rationale is discussed and steps to follow are given. (JL)

Based upon the experiences of Delgado Community College (DCC), this series of presentations examines the use of needs assessment as a planning tool. After explaining the way needs assessment is defined at DCC, Carol Hopson discusses the decisions to be made before beginning a needs assessment with respect to: (1) institutional willingness to abide…

This book was written for use in university courses and inservice programs directed toward the improvement of secondary education. Part I contains an introduction and overview of an improvement design, including descriptions of proposals that have been made for school improvement, and experiences of school practitioners in improvement programs. In…

The influence of biological science research on the development of physical education curriculum is examined in this paper. The social construction of scientific knowledge is described as occurring in the selection of problems to be studied, the collection and interpretation of data, the dissemination of results, and the educational uses of…