Explains how it is that the fruits of educational research and analysis, so insistently sought by Washington policy-makers, are so inefficiently used. Change will not occur in the manner originally envisioned: where a clear research result will quickly convert a set of coolly rational policy-makers. (Author/IRT)

This paper originated as part of the early phases of internal planning within the National Institute for Education (NIE). A status study was conducted of the existing system of educational research and development (R&D) which (1) provided a framework of information as an initial context for framing policy and (2) examined a major mandate,…

The evaluator as purveyor of truth may be seen as one more lobbyist competing for politicians' attention. This article explains how evaluators can present their results forcefully in the political arena. Available from: Evaluation, 501 South Park Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415. (CP)

To better understand policy formation, evaluators should be aware of the perspectives from which legislators view evaluators. Illustrations of the impact of evaluation and research projects on policy are provided. (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA 94104, single issue, $6.95.) (Author/GDC)

A new approach is described for building a bridge between evaluation and policy-making functions in the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. This linkage, the evaluation analysis and policy development process, has important implications for the utilization of evaluation findings and for the career evaluator. (Author/GDC)

A summary of a two-day conference held in September, 1973 is presented. The meeting was convened by the Planning and Policy Analysis Unit of the National Institute of Education (NIE); its purpose was to bring NIE staff together with developers, publishers, attorneys, and educators to develop input for a position paper on dissemination and…

Educational policy research is discussed as it concerns the utilization and programming of research. Following a brief review of the development of the educational research system, Part 1 discusses the following utilization concerns: the gap between research and policymakers; the relationship of organizational setting to utilization (comparing…

Research, evaluation, and policy analysis are elements of inquiry whose functions, aims, purposes, intended audiences, and intended outcomes have been confused in the literature discussing how to accomplish them. Using the definition of "disciplined inquiry" provided by Cronbach and Suppes (1969), which defines disciplined inquiry as the…

Part 1 of a two-part series, this volume presents three separate policy studies done using a contextual research, development, and innovation (RD & I) analysis framework developed by the authors. The studies are intended to demonstrate the requirements and possibilities for policy analysis in the RD & I arena and the utility of the…

This paper presents two models, one for organizing institutional research and research data, and the other for applying research findings to the decision-making process. The model for organizing research consists of four subsystems: goal-setting, program development, cost-effectiveness, and program review. Each subsystem has a distinctive…

A preliminary review of findings and implications of social science research utilization among government officials is provided. The data come from face-to-face interviews of 204 persons at the upper levels of decision making in the executive branch of the federal government. Section one presents descriptive data on the diversity of the…

As a solution to the problem of disseminating information from research and development projects into the field, this project examined a number of diffusion models, developed the Omnibus Model, and tested it. The Omnibus Model consists of eight different action blocks. First, information is acquired both selectively and non-selectively, and then…

An example is provided of an evaluation in which the formulation of explicit decision rules was a central activity. The case for and against the use of decision rules in program evaluation is considered, and the appropriate context identified. Implications for the rights of decision makers are addressed. (Author/CTM)

This paper explores the politics of education with emphasis on the uses and influences of educational research in educational policy formation. Objectives are to identify information needs of policy makers and to shed light on the educational policy process. The hypothesis is that there is a lack of unity in studies of the political aspects of…

This presentation discusses the products the South Carolina Department of Education derives from that State's management information system and traces the processes used to deliver those products to local school districts. Emphasis is on a description of the technical assistance the State department of education provides the local school district…