The field of education is progressively building capacity and tools for producing rigorous research evidence to use in improving educational practice and outcomes. The knowledge base is lacking, however, in explicating the dynamics of research-based decision making and exploring connections between the work of research-practice partnerships and…

Presents a case study of a curriculum project in an Ontario school board to illustrate how researchers can intervene appropriately in the policymaking activities of practicing educators. After discussing and rejecting two traditional models of involvement, illustrates and justifies two practical principles to guide researchers in these situations.…

Based upon the experiences of Delgado Community College (DCC), this series of presentations examines the use of needs assessment as a planning tool. After explaining the way needs assessment is defined at DCC, Carol Hopson discusses the decisions to be made before beginning a needs assessment with respect to: (1) institutional willingness to abide…

Shows how the concept of legitimacy and, in particular, the theoretical construct of compensatory legitimation as a determinant of policy strategies may be useful for the comparative analysis of educational policy in advanced capitalist societies. Uses examples of educational policy in the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States. (BRR)

Discusses reasons for the ineffectiveness of social science research in influencing public policy and turning results into useful social policy. Suggests ways social scientists can influence social policy for children within the public and private sectors. Includes recommendations for more applied research, work with community organizations, and…

The effects on policy and practice of national surveys of education conducted in Scotland were evaluated. Surveys carried out as early as 1953 and 1963 have had little impact. Research must deal with contemporary issues and be relevant to local circumstances in order to influence policy. (SLD)

This chapter examines the current uses of alumni studies in the United Kingdom and outlines their challenges and limitations to informing policy and curriculum reform.

The six chapters of this special issue focus on how and why educational research is, or is not, used by its intended audiences of policymakers, practitioners, and other educational researchers. Texts that accept the more traditional notions of research knowledge precede the more radical visions in this collection. (SLD)

A Seminar on Teacher Centers was convened in 1977 by the University of Chicago's Department of Education and Center for Policy Study in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris. This volume contains the papers commissioned for the seminar. These papers report on principal issues discussed, and give…

This book examines existing European environmental education and agricultural practices friendly to the environment. Focus is on studies conducted in five countries Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain--that aimed to define new knowledge qualifications related to environmental issues in producing alternative agricultural products…