Develops a model for analyzing the behavior of commissions and discusses the role of social science in the model. Uses the model to examine Boston's Safe Schools Commission, with data on how social science was used by the commission being used to suggest several modifications to the model. (Author/JN)

Using a framework that draws upon current organizational theory and assumptions about knowledge utilization and school improvement this report examines the process of change at the school level. The model developed attempts both to categorize the "strategies" employed by the Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program/projects and…

Based on two papers presented at the American Educational Research Association meeting in 1981, this report provides an overview and major outcomes of a three-year study of the Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program. The RDU program tested and assessed a comprehensive model for assisting schools to use results of educational research…

Twelve chapter-length case studies of schools that participated in the Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program are presented to illuminate change management issues. The report is intended for use either as a text or as a book of readings for school professionals. Each chapter is accompanied by questions that are suitable for group…

An examination of the effect of intervention strategies utilized in the Research and Development Utilization (RDU) Program on school improvement outcomes was the subject of this document. The basic Federal/State approaches to support local school improvement efforts are a coercive/manipulative approach, direct support, or indirect support.…

The role of external agents in educational knowledge utilization, the factors affecting agent impact, and future research needs comprise the topics of this literature review. Based on existing definitions, the author identifies the external agent as an individual or group outside the client system whose objective is to help the clients enhance…

The Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program research component examines the successes and administrative dilemmas faced by demonstration projects that attempted to develop interorganizational networks in a knowledge utilization and school improvement process. A framework is presented for looking at RDU projects as a group of…

A study of the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program illuminates several policy choices for federal and state support of dissemination and school improvement projects. RDU was established in 1976 to disseminate educational materials and thereby help schools clarify and solve local problems. Seven…

In 1976 the National Institute of Education established the Research and Development Utilization (RDU) Program. This project was intended to apply research and development products to local school problems; to develop a problem-solving and product selection process usable by local schools and to organize a linkage system making national, state,…

This paper examines the role of the educational linking agent in facilitating the dissemination and use of research information at the local school level. A model is developed. (Author/MLF)

Part of a special issue on organizational research utilization, this article analyzes two National Institute of Education programs--the Research and Development Utilization Program and the Experimental Schools Program--and finds that a key reason for nonutilization of research is the "policy vacuum" in which research is conducted.…

Intended as a guide for educators in shared decision-making, this report summarizes the structures, procedures, and activities of local action teams in 49 schools involved in the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program. Local action teams in the RDU program consisted of formal groups of teachers and…

These technical appendices are bound separately from the report "Strategies for Knowledge Use and School Improvement" which evaluates the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program. Appendix A contains a preliminary report on the statistical quality of the quantitative data, focusing primarily on…

In discussing the improvement of schools by using research and development findings, two different outcomes of a change program are considered. One is the effective implementation of new programs through use of available knowledge. The second is the broader issue of achieving school improvement through making the organization more healthy, the…

This brief report summarizes the staff development benefits that occurred as a result of teachers participating in the Research and Development Utilization Program (RDU). Surveys of 540 teachers revealed the five most frequently cited staff development benefits to be: (1) learning more about curriculum development; (2) learning more about the…