This report provides a detailed account of the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program's experience establishing and supporting research-practice partnerships (called "research alliances") during its 2012-17 contract cycle. The report adds to the growing literature base on researcher-practitioner partnerships by sharing how the…

In order for research programs at academic medical centers and universities to survive and thrive in the increasingly challenging economic, political and regulatory environment, successful transformation is extremely important. Transformation and quality management techniques are increasingly well established in medical practice organizations. In…

For many years now E-learning researchers have been discussing the use of laptops in educational settings. The One Laptop per Child project, (OLPC project), has been used in developing countries since the year 2002 to avoid the increase of the digital divide between those with ready access to technology and those with limited access. Austria has…

The Canadian Education Association (CEA) was commissioned by Hewlett-Packard Canada to create a case study describing the development, implementation and outcomes of New Brunswick's Dedicated Notebook Research Project. The New Brunswick Department of Education designed its research project to assess impacts on teaching and learning of dedicated…

This timely book describes the work of the School Improvement Network, a partnership in which university professors and graduate students collaborated with K-12 school leaders and teachers to design, implement, and assess schoolwide action research projects focused on long-term school improvement. Presenting a comprehensive model, this resource…

Service-learning opportunities are prominent on many college campuses. The process of designing and implementing service-learning experiences, especially for students of gerontology, however, has rarely been addressed. The current article briefly reviews the background and utility of service-learning in gerontology courses, describes our…

Family-Centered Intensive Case Management, a New York State-sponsored research demonstration project, empowers and supports families of children with serious emotional disturbance, by providing respite care, flexible funding, parent support groups, and behavior management skills training. The project found that, given intensive and individualized…

Difficulties accompanying large-scale field tests of a health promotion program in middle schools are reviewed, focusing on Healthy for Life, a health promotion research project that recruited 22 schools. The practical lessons and strategies of program recruitment and implementation are useful for anyone planning school-based programs or research.…

A previous paper argued that issues of validity in self-study research are first and foremost moral arguments about educational practice. It also asserted that if a self-study is to be valid, then the educational merit of the practice studied must be appropriate. Considering the responses of symposium participants to these assertions has resulted…

This report, first in a series of seven, addressed the question, "What events disrupt classroom instruction and what are the most effective techniques teachers use to cope with these distractions?" This report describes the events which occurred in the evolution of the research study. The major sections are: (1) selection of the…

This paper reports the results of 4 years of a mentoring program at the University of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) that has been directed to developing the research aspirations and performance of ex-Melbourne College of Advanced Education staff who are coping with increased research demands following the 1989 amalgamation with the University of…

Strengths and weaknesses of three types of semiquantitative methods used by the federal government in research impact assessment are presented, and examples of their use are reviewed. These include the classic retrospective method, another retrospective approach, and accomplishments books used by selected research-sponsoring organizations. (SLD)

This book contains four papers commissioned by the National Center on Employment Policy to review programs conducted by the Office of Policy, Evaluation, and Research in the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration. The Council's policy statement entitled "Appraising Employment and Training Research" appears first. In…

Chapter 2 of the Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments directs that at least 80% of funds targeted under the law be delivered to school districts, while up to 20% may be reserved for statewide use. In 1989, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Olympia (Washington) redirected this 20% to support a competitive…

Articles in this special issue deal with the assessment of the impact of research and are divided into segments concerning semiquantitative approaches; qualitative approaches; and quantitative and fiscal approaches. These articles illustrate the importance of the role of motivation and associated incentives. (SLD)