Education researchers have sought to address the divide between research and persistent problems of practice faced by educators through technology, pedagogy, and methodology innovations (Anderson & Shattuck, 2012; Mishra & Koehler, 2007; Richey, 1998). Barriers to the successful development and implementation of technological innovations…

A chasm is growing between our rapidly rising aspirations for our educational systems and what schools can routinely accomplish. Education needs an improvement paradigm--one that recognizes the complexity of the work of education and the wide variability in outcomes that our systems currently produce. This article sketches out such a paradigm. It…

The evidence-based practice (EBP) movement has the potential to significantly advance the quality of psychological and educational services provided by psychologists working in schools. Training psychologists in EBP has challenged the profession and caused faculty in graduate programs to reevaluate and retool professional training curricula and…

Action research involves researchers and practitioners in collaborative projects and provides a means of integrating evaluation into the reform process. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

A work-study team is the core of a school-university collaboration benefiting everyone involved. (Author)

The objectives of the Pennsylvania School Improvement Program (PSIP), funded by the National Institute of Education from 1976 to 1980, were to help schools analyze basic skills needs and improve student performance through the use of research-based programs and techniques. The data uncovered the need to improve instructional management, improve…

This paper elaborates on the concept of "linkage"--the utilization of educational research information--as implemented by the Documentation and Technical Assistance (DTA) Project, a program designed to enhance the problem solving capacity of urban schools. The paper begins with an overview of the DTA project and discusses the educational…

This document is the final report of the Interactive Research and Development on Teaching (IR&DT) study on the implementation of educational research in actual site locations. Two teams of teachers, researchers, and trainer/developers spent fifteen-and-one-half months implementing the IR&DT at two sites in Vermont and California. Their…

Historically the research and extension functions of land grant universities have been separate. This article discusses a Title V rural development program at Pennsylvania State in which research and extension efforts have been linked to provide knowledge and expertise to rural communities. (DS)

To give an overview of the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program, this report summarizes the program's goals, structure, and evaluation study and discusses the educational policy issues the program seeks to answer. Designed to enhance local school improvement efforts in the areas of basic skills and…

Three professional development models are described which use research as a basis for the content and the process of program design and implementation. These are: (1) the research-based planning model; (2) the research-based problem solving model; and (3) the research-based data collection model. (JN)

Prediction is made of a change in the role of the teacher from dispenser of knowledge to a learning facilitator and an "anticipatory design science" specialist. A description is given of a workshop seminar focusing on the process of designing educational futures so that teachers can gain direct experience with policy study and formation. This…

Contradictory research findings on teachers and teaching are frequently the result of overlooking or neglecting a systematic approach to teaching, using principles of human learning to enhance pupils' learning and their enjoyment of learning. In discussing teacher preparation, it is pointed out that task analysis is a crucial operation, in which…

The progress of a group of student teachers who used action research techniques in their student teaching experience was studied. Action research is designed to yield practical results that are immediately applicable to a specific situation or problem. Action research strategies were used by student teachers to identify and find effective ways of…

A description is given of the organization and operation of a network of persons who work together to accomplish the following six educational goals: (1) diagnose problems that impair student performance in the basic skills and other areas; (2) link schools with the best available educational programs to meet their needs; (3) link schools with…