In response to the evolving needs of knowledge synthesis, this manuscript introduces the concept of narrative reanalysis, a method that refines data from initial reviews, such as systematic and reviews, to focus on specific sub-phenomena. Unlike traditional narrative reviews, which lack the methodological rigor of systematic reviews and are…

Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a promising yet underutilized tool in the international development field. SNA entails collecting and analyzing data to characterize and visualize social networks, where nodes represent network members and edges connecting nodes represent relationships or exchanges among them. SNA can help both researchers and…

Understanding neurocognitive mechanisms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an essential goal of autism research. Studying young children with ASD or other neurodevelopmental conditions in demanding experimental settings, however, can pose many practical and ethical challenges. In this article, we present practical strategies that…

This document is part of a Bridgespan Group research project that focused on the question: "How could a philanthropist make the biggest improvement on social mobility with an investment of $1 billion?" In answering this question, the authors have sought to understand "what matters most" for improving social mobility outcomes.…

At the heart of the effort to enact and scale up successful school reforms is the need for more robust links between research and practice. One promising approach is design development, a methodology widely used in other fields and only recently adapted to education, which offers a disciplined process for identifying practical problems, assessing…

This article describes an evaluation method based on collaboration between the higher education, a care home and university, in a R&D project. The aim of the project was to elaborate modelling as a tool of developmental evaluation for innovation and competence in project cooperation. The approach was based on activity theory. Modelling enabled a…

This report describes how big data and an evidence framework can align across five contexts of educational improvement. It explains that before working with big data, there is an important prerequisite: the proposed innovation should align with deeper learning objectives and should incorporate sound learning sciences principles. New curriculum…

Over the past thirty years, there has been much dialogue, and debate, about the conduct of educational technology research and development. In this brief volume, the author helps clarify that dialogue by theoretically and empirically charting the research methods used in the field and provides much practical information on how to conduct…

Among the functions of a college of education are engaging in basic research in education and helping the college and individual faculty members provide research for the clientele that the college serves. A formal structure for these tasks is required by large universities. At Mississippi State University (MSU), the Bureau of Research and…

Examines the creation and operation of the Office of Student Affairs Research, Information, and Systems (SARIS) at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Describes how SARIS came into being, how to identify and prioritize research, how to collect data, how to disseminate findings, and how administrators use the data in making policy…

Over the last decade, policymakers, practitioners, and funders in the youth development field have become increasingly reliant on social indicators as tools to identify areas of need, to target resources, to set and monitor progress toward measurable goals, and to assess policy and program effectiveness. This report to the William T. Grant…

The central research question addressed at the National Center for Teacher Education is, "What do teacher education programs contribute to teachers' learning?" This article describes how this question is explored, conceptualization of key terms in the question, data collection strategies, and contributions and limitations of the Center's…

The current federal relationship to higher education and the historical underpinnings of this relationship are examined, along with a statistical profile of the federal fiscal impact on higher education. After sketching the historical division of responsibilities for education in the U.S. federal system, attention is directed to the central…

Announces the availability of a new dataset on U.S. politics, the "Record of American Democracy." Includes information on the type of data contained in the set and the extent of the data. Provides information on accessing the dataset via the World Wide Web. (DSK)

This report updates the National Strategic Research Plan of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and reports progress made from 1991 through 1993 as required by the National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-553) which established the Institute. An executive summary…