Making Connections was the Annie E. Casey Foundation's signature place-based, community-change initiative of the 2000s. It sought to build on previous work and launch an effort focused firmly on the framework of family strengthening. The Foundation started Making Connections in 22 places, focusing eventually on first 10, then seven sites. It…

To ensure the best possible outcomes for young children with and without disabilities, early childhood educators must enter the classroom ready to conduct all types of early childhood assessment--including determining if children need additional services, planning and monitoring instruction, and determining program effectiveness. They'll get the…

This report summarizes the major activities and findings to date of the Career Ladders Research and Evaluation Project with respect to the five-year pilot-test currently underway in Arizona. Summary descriptions are given of each year's activities from 1985 to 1989: (1) development and planning for program evaluation; (2) application of research…

Data on people with disabilities can be used to confirm service needs and to evaluate the resulting impact of services. Disability statistics from surveys and administrative records can play a meaningful role in such efforts. In this article, the authors describe the array of available data and statistics and their potential uses in rehabilitation…

To upgrade research and research utilization competence of vocational educators, The Center for Vocational and Technical Education and The American Vocational Association planned four 1-week research training programs on: (1) Planning Vocational/Technical Education Programs Based on Manpower Research, (2) Patterns of Career Development as Applied…

This document reviews the Virginia Research Utilization Specialist (RUS) project which began in 1969 to assist in demonstrating effective methods of research utilization in the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies. Nine RUS personnel were involved in the demonstration project and developed the following activities: (1) work on a statewide…

This document reports on dissemination lectures that inform the educational research community about the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). In the first two chapters, the background leading to the dissemination lectures, the procedures used by the project staff to accomplish dissemination objectives, and the methodological procedures…

A detailed report is given on the mechanics involved in conducting a successful bi-regional workshop for educators. The theme of the workshop was designed around two Research Within Reach (RWR) documents dealing with oral/written communications and secondary mathematics; however, papers and discussion generated by the workshop are not included in…

Review of literature concerning the use of program review in higher education lists sources discussing the review process, focusing on the links between program review and other institutional processes, and addressing application of program review principles and practices to different higher education settings. Critical factors for successful use…

Instructional innovation should progress through three major stages before general implementation--development, field testing, and dissemination. During the 1965-66 school year, joint planning was undertaken by the staff of the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh and by Research for Better Schools (RBS),…

To avoid implementation problems, thought must be given to diagnosis and systematic adaptive planning for the implementation of educational innovations. (MM)

A report is given on the Extended Elementary Teacher Education Program (EETEP), a five-year alternative to the regular four-year elementary program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The purpose is to prepare elementary teachers who exhibit higher levels of teaching performance than coteachers prepared in the regular program. Primary…

This paper describes an emerging model for a comprehensive staff and organizational development program as a continuous and integral activity of the college, and discusses the role of the office of institutional research in such programs. A comprehensive program includes instructional development (instructional evaluation, diagnosis,…

The focus of this book is on the planning of a comprehensive system of staff development and the governance, design, and implementation of specific programs within that system. Much of the book consists of recommendations that are based on the study of a wide range of staff development programs, research on teachers and teaching, information about…