Paul Jablon's "The Synergy of Inquiry" (2014) is well-timed. The 2014 deadline set by No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002) for universal student proficiency has come and gone, and according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, "proficiency rates last year were below 50 percent for nearly every racial and ethnic group, in…

This paper was delivered as a response to a presentation by Jan Kronberg MLC, Chair of the Education and Training Committee, Parliament of Victoria that published a report of the "Inquiry into the Extent, Benefits and Potential of Music Education in Victorian Schools." Her presentation and this response were part of a forum conducted by…

Slavin (2008) has called for changing the criteria used for the inclusion of basic research in national research synthesis clearinghouses. The author of this article examines a number of the assumptions made by Slavin, provides critique with alternatives, and asks what it means to fully implement the medical model in educational settings.…

This response to Slavin's article (2008) explores the issues of transparency, representation, and warranting of claims in Slavin's descriptions of the work of others and his suggestions for program evaluation syntheses. Through contrastive analyses between Slavin's representations of the program evaluation synthesis efforts of five organizations…

In this article, the authors argue the case for scientific evidenced-based practice in education. They consider what differentiates science from pseudoscience and what sources of information teachers typically regard as reliable. The What Works Clearinghouse is discussed with reference to certain limitations of its current operation. Given the…

Paul Stapleton's (2006) critique of quantitative research brings to the surface some common interpretive problems arising when experimental and quasi-experimental research designs are compared. While Stapleton may be correct in pointing out the superiority of experimental research designs because they best eliminate the influence of extraneous…

Responding to an editorial appearing earlier in this journal, the author defends experimentation as an important strategy and cites the opinions of several researchers. It is emphasized that openness to experimentation, knowledge about its application, and ease with which it can be done in education are needed. (GK)

The article proposes a sequential alternating treatments design requiring that two treatments be initially implemented in a random or counterbalanced fashion followed by a sequential change in one or both treatments across settings, subjects, or tasks. This design is appropriate when it is not feasible to obtain a traditional baseline condition.…

In this essay, the authors argue that linked-course learning communities serve students at nonresidential metropolitan public universities by increasing their academic achievement, reducing their attrition, and engaging them in the project of public education. They use a winter 2004 research project to argue that linked courses create supportive…

Cross-lagged methodology (CLM), which is virtually ignored by psychological researchers, is suggested for studies of causal relations in which controlled experimentation is unfeasible. The longitudinal facet in the design of CLM is highlighted. Advantages and limitations of the CLM are described. (SLD)

One major issue in the field of mathematics education is what type or types of research should play the critical role. Describes major research categories and applications, and elaborates on the future of mathematics education research toward consensus and rapprochement in this area. (Contains 26 references.) (ASK)

Modeling the process by which participants are selected into groups, rather than adjusting for preexisting group differences, provides the basis for several new approaches to the analysis of data from nonrandomized studies. Econometric approaches, the propensity scores approach, and the relative assignment variable approach to the modeling of…

How some of the past literature creates the impression of an inevitable method-paradigm linkage and of a forced choice between qualitative and quantitative paradigms is shown. Difficulties of making method choices are considered. It is suggested that purposefully developed strengths of different methods should not be ignored. (Author/GK)

Causal models often omit variables that should be included, use variables that are measured fallibly, and ignore time lags. Such practices can lead to severely biased estimates of effects. The discussion explains these biases and shows how to take them into account. (Author)

Argues that the routine use of experimental or quasi experimental designs in educational research often constrains the value of its conclusions. Also critizes educational research for its atheoretical nature and its paucity of conceptual frameworks. (GC)