This report summarizes key indicators that assess the status of the science and engineering (S&E) enterprise within the United States and that illustrate the U.S. global position in multiple aspects of the S&E enterprise. This includes information about the geographic distribution of S&E activities; science, technology, engineering,…

The federal government pays for a wide range of goods and services that are expected to contribute to the economy for some years in the future. Those purchases, called investment, fall into three categories: physical capital, research and development (R&D), and education and training. There are several economic rationales for federal…

Contributions from and innovation in science and technology over many decades have resulted in dramatic improvements to American lives, including enhanced living standards and life expectancy, better access to information and connectivity across the globe, and increased access to and affordability of consumer goods. The analysis in this report is…

The challenge of creating evidence-based practice bedevils a number of fields. In education, the federal government has historically placed substantial responsibility for translational research in the hands of the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs), which were established in 1966 as part of the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act…

The SREB Fact Book on Higher Education includes data on the population and economy, enrollment, degrees, student tuition and financial aid, faculty and administrators, revenue and expenditures. With more than 100 tables of detailed information, the Fact Book is one of the nation's most respected and most comprehensive collections of comparative…

This document justifies U.S. government funding of the Southern Regional Consortium of Colleges of Education (SRCCE) proposal for a Educational Leadership Research and Development Center (ELRDC), reviews the formulation of the research and development agenda, lists the several steps leading to the establishment of the center designated to…

The 1994 reauthorization of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) introduced significant changes in the structure of federal support for educational research, development, and statistics. After more than 3.5 years of experience with these changes, it is time to assess the results of the new approach. Rather than looking only at…

This paper addresses two issues: (1) needs associated with computers in the schools and (2) roles the federal government should have in meeting those needs. (JMK)

Proposes the need for a design competition system (DCS) in federally funded educational research and development and discusses the key issues that a DCS must address in methodology. Also addresses the high cost of using a DCS and whether such costs can be justified. Concludes that a DCS is justified and necessary. (GR)

A survey covered categories of budget, organization, staff resources, activities, and reporting techniques and policies; the survey revealed Research and Evaluation (R and E) offices received federal or state funding. Therefore, most retain financial independence from programs evaluated. The best placement of R and E offices in the school…

The conjunction of development funding and educational research in Africa and the dominating role of a single agency, the World Bank, have consequences for research and educational policy: structuring of research according to agency constructs and policies, legitimation of poorly supported propositions, lack of critical review, a fixation on…

This introductory article in a special issue on mentoring as a means to prevent school failure looks at the beginnings of mentoring in the United States, recent growth of mentoring programs, similarities and differences in mentoring programs, sources of funding for mentoring programs, what works and what does not, and the future of mentoring…

Discusses the utility of IEA cross-national studies of achievement and its determinants, why some countries appear uninterested in such information, the comparability of achievement data between nations, how to improve the selection of input and process variables, other international research needs, and the role of national funding agencies. (SV)

The Massachusetts governor discussed public policy of creating an environment in which a productive, progressive relationship can flourish between higher education institutions and industry. Focus is on the state government's ability to provide leadership, mechanisms for cooperation, and stable financial support for education at all levels. (MSE)

The nine-year history of the Computer Assisted Instruction Laboratory, College of Education, Pennsylvania State University, is traced. Some 30 projects in curriculum development in teacher education, public school classes, and adult vocational education are described, along with several advances in computer-assisted instruction (CAI).…