Drawing on interviews, documents, and eight studies, this policy research study offers information and recommendations in order to fulfill the responsibility of the National Council on Educational Research to establish general policies for, and review the conduct of, the National Institute of Education (NIE). Questions guiding this study are: the…

A two-stage project generated and tested a problem-solving linkage model of dissemination and utilization (DU) processes. The first phase involved the analysis of the DU activities of four Federal agency units in order to produce the model. The overall DU process was conceptualized as a dialogue between users with information needs and suppliers…

Papers in this collection explore alternative and nontraditional approaches to evaluation. They provide options, speculations, and propositions that affect each thinker's ideas on how to trace the impact of National Science Foundation-supported programs. Organized around a central theme of footprints as evidence of a program's impact, the papers…

The newly appointed director of the National Institute of Education responds to questions about the institute's objectives. (JN)

The leadership role of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in developing a System of Expert Panels to identify and share promising and exemplary products, programs. and practices is discussed. The System of Expert Panels should enable the Federal government to help the public learn about replicable research and development…

Two landmark efforts to describe the condition of American Indian and Alaska Native education nationwide and to call for specific solutions took place in the early 1990s. These efforts were the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the White House Conference on Indian Education. This digest summarizes Task Force and Conference recommendations…

This paper describes how the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) operated the first study groups, what topics they investigated, what fruit they bore, and what the study group members and AEL staff later said they would do differently or the same way next time. Major topics discussed in the paper are: how groups were initiated and organized,…

This document outlines the National Center for Research Vocational Education's 1995 agenda. The agenda is divided into two parts. Part 1 summarizes the center's plans for research and development activities on the following six themes: the economic context of vocational education (VE); institutions, "systems," governance, and policy;…

The 10 Regional Educational Laboratories work to ensure that those involved in educational improvement at the local, state, and regional levels have access to the best available information from research and practice. This report presents 1997 performance data on three common objectives of the Regional Educational Laboratory Program sponsored by…

The Research and Planning Division at Ontario Educational Communications Authority undertakes formative, summative, background, and policy research to provide better educational services to audiences via electronic and associated media. Research activities are carried out by three groups. Planning and Development formulates long term plans,…

This evaluation of the information dissemination program of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) uses a inclusive approach to gather, analyze, and report information to help decision makers. Results of three questionnaires, reviews and analyses of CRESST products, and Internet records were used to…

Decision-oriented inquiries emanate from a specific need for information and are conducted under a number of constraints. Conclusion-oriented research originates with the researcher and can be pursued in ways decided on by the researcher. Two examples of decision-oriented evaluation studies conducted by school districts and the relationships…

This report summarizes the efforts made to provide linker training to educational personnel at the local and regional levels in West Virginia. The workshop evaluation follows a review of: (1) the rationale for the National Institute of Education's funding of regionally located Research and Development Exchanges; (2) the workshop planning procedure…

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's (NWREL) Research Evaluation Program provides assistance to educators based on its research, development, testing, and training activities concerning new methodologies for educational evaluation. This report describes the assistance provided to educational practitioners in 1984 through support materials,…

This report from the Australian Council for Educational Research details the council's activities from July 1, 1979 to June 30, 1980. In the introduction, the council's director comments on the various activities, including educational and psychological measurement, curriculum research and development, studies of the social foundations of…