The effective utilization of research and development products ranks as one of the top priorities in American public education. The document contains two concept papers by recognized authorities on knowledge utilization activities: A Diffusion Mechanism for the Center for Vocational and Technical Education, Egon G. Guba; and Alternative Diffusion…

This article examines the relationship between research and service provision to persons with severe mental retardation, notes frequent methodological deficiencies in current research, and proposes establishment of Australian research centers to coordinate research efforts and link research to service delivery. (DB)

Decision-oriented inquiries emanate from a specific need for information and are conducted under a number of constraints. Conclusion-oriented research originates with the researcher and can be pursued in ways decided on by the researcher. Two examples of decision-oriented evaluation studies conducted by school districts and the relationships…

The purpose of this program was to discover and to help bring about a more effective articulation between anthropologists and the research and development needs of the schools. To that end, a number of crucial activities were undertaken coincident with the creation of university-based centers. A national conference was organized to assess the…

In this speech, the authors contend that the adoption of a marketing approach by the disseminators of educational research and development product might well lead to a more effective way of getting products into use by educators. The marketing concept as defined comprises the planning of a coordinated set of products and programs to serve the…

This volume presents in one collection a systematic inventory of research and analytic procedures appropriate for generating information on knowledge production, diffusion, and utilization, gathered by the University of Pittsburgh Program for the Study of Knowledge Use. The main concern is with those procedures that focus on the utilization of…

The Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools (PREPS) model is unique because all research and evaluation activities are conceived, conducted, and controlled by the local public schools, members of the consortium. It is a delivery system designed to improve school effectiveness. PREPS was developed as a result of the demand for school…

This running commentary cites examples to show that measurement and research in education, since Binet, have been used to solve school problems. Current problems cited stem from post-World War II acceptance of the goal of educating "all the children of all the people." Compensatory education, peer-tutoring vs. competitive scrambling, mastery…

A 1968 appraisal of the effectiveness of the school research office as a channel for the dissemination of research and development information to school personnel is the main concern of this report. The paper is a product of the Communication Program at Far West Laboratory which is designed to fill three main research needs: the investigation of…

An evaluation of the Research and Development Centers and the Regional Educational Laboratories of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) was conducted by an outside analyst brought in in September 1991 by then Assistant Secretary Diane Ravitch. The Research and Development Centers have been one of the primary sources of…

A statewide survey of educators and lay citizens was made to uncover their perceptions as to what are the most crucial concerns, problems, and needs of vocational education in Kentucky. A modified Delphi Survey was considered to be the most appropriate survey technique. A questionnaire (Appendix A) asking for a list of six to eight major concerns,…

Australian education and training and vocational education and training (VET) research are in a state of crisis. Both the higher education and VET sectors are now squeezed and subject to contradictory objectives, multiple accountabilities, heightened expectations, and diminished resources in an environment of uncertainty and frustration. The…