The purpose of this monograph is to advance thinking about transforming how schools play their role in addressing barriers to learning and teaching. In the process, the authors discuss embedding and framing the evolving literatures related to improvement and implementation sciences into a general intervention perspective. Part I of this monograph…

"Millions Learning: Scaling up Quality Education in Developing Countries" tells the story of where and how quality education has scaled in low- and middle-income countries. The story emerges from wide-ranging research on scaling and learning, including 14 in-depth case studies from around the globe. Ultimately, "Millions…

"Turnaround" has become the new buzzword in education. From states and districts paying for principals to be trained as turnaround specialists to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's call to turn around the country's 5,000 lowest-performing schools, the concept of rapid, large-scale reform in individual schools--not just incremental…

The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) is a major national research and development effort that supports innovative partnerships among institutions of higher education (IHEs), local K-12 school systems, and their supporting partners in order to improve K-12 student achievement in mathematics and…

Getting through the choppy seas of curriculum reform and high stakes testing, as well as meeting predetermined standards and adequate yearly progress, is often difficult for a teacher, let alone a school or district, to ascertain what specific content should be taught and what is actually being taught. Teachers often do not know what has been…

The Division H vice-president of the American Educational Research Association discusses organizational changes in the division. Division H concentrates on evaluation and development. Recommendations deal with governance, publications, credibility, credentialing, ethics, leadership, and membership. (MLF)

The purpose of this paper is to examine and evaluate the form, function, and effectiveness of Illinois demonstration centers established as change agents for the improvement of district programs for gifted children. The evaluation involved an analysis of the centers' policies formulated over an extended time period, the quality of the…

This study describes the assumptions and strategies of the Laboratory School's Linkage Model and evaluates the results of the utilization of the model by focusing on the dissemination of a developmental individualized reading program over a three-year period. The dissemination process resulted in a large number of schools implementing the program,…

In this keynote address presented at the Mid-western Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in October, 2004, the author discusses the increasing interest of federal policy-makers in scientifically-based research. A comparison between education and other disciplines is offered, and a proposal for increased rigor in educational research is…

Argues teachers must be able to correctly interpret and evaluate research design and results to effectively use research to improve instruction. Offers five guidelines for teachers to consider before changing teaching methods in response to research results. Favors longitudinal and cross-sectional studies for best long-term results from…