The concept of Levels of Use of the Innovation (LoU) permits an operational, cost-feasible description and documentation of whether or not an educational innovation or treatment is being implemented. Eight different LoU's can be reliably measured: nonuse, orientation, preparation, mechanical uses, routine, refinement, integration, and renewal.…

Robert Burns wrote: "The best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry". This could be considered the motto of most educational innovation. The question that arises is not so much why some innovations fail (although this is very important question), but rather why other innovations succeed? This study investigated the success factors of…

A between method triangulation strategy was used to evaluate a process for long-range program planning. One study team conducted interviews and the other used a mail questionnaire. The resulting problems in coordination between teams are discussed. (Author/GDC)

How an elementary school (pseudonym, Sunny Days Elementary School) initiated school restructuring using the School Restructuring Process Model developed by Charles Reigeluth was studied, using formative evaluation to see how the actual experiences of the school might refine and improve the model. The model follows a three-phase process from…

An approach to educational research that is receiving renewed attention is participatory action research (PAR), which emphasizes a bottom-up approach to research as well as useful outcomes. PAR is a philosophy, and not a methodology per se. It is a deliberate, goal-directed, structured, and applied means of obtaining information that looks to…

This paper describes the Parent-Caregiver Project, a research and demonstration program which focuses on the relationship between parents and caregivers in group day care settings. The project's purpose is two-fold: (1) to determine the nature of and identify variables that appear to influence parent-caregiver relationships in day care settings;…