School improvement without will and moral purpose--without a genuine commitment to all students--is an empty exercise in compliance that, in the authors' experience, can do more harm than good. The authors have seen educators use data to "more accurately" track students, further widening the opportunity-to-learn gap. In response to achievement…

This paper presents a rationale and suggestions for increasing the quality of and demand for research findings as a vital component of educational improvement efforts. Addresses issues of trustworthiness, useability, and accessibility and suggests ways to nurture demand for research among influence producers, knowledge producers, knowledge…

Discussion of the research-to-practice gap in special education first suggests the Mainstream Assistance Teams effort as an example of this gap. It then suggests reasons for the gap and proposes a model that emphasizes collaboration between researchers and practitioners and nontraditional staff development activities. Lessons learned and…

Offers a six-step campaign to improve education by applying research findings to practice. The steps are: (1) target important visible problems; (2) build a powerful, dedicated coalition with a prominent, credible leader; (3) staff the campaign; (4) assemble the right information; (5) launch the campaign; and (6) implement solutions. (DB)

Suggests ways music teachers can improve their teaching and solve instructional problems by using existing research and conducting their own. Also offers strategies to help music district supervisors encourage effective use of research. Identifies several useful publications as sources of research reports. Includes a chart listing reasons and…

Explores why K-12 music educators have been slow to incorporate research results into teaching practices. Reviews types and roles of music research, their value, application and relevance to teaching. Suggests teachers will become more effective by integrating research into music programs. (NL)

Examines issues, especially definitional issues, in the practical application of effective naturalistic instructional (NI) practices in the instruction of young children with disabilities and their families. Suggests guidelines for describing independent and dependent variables in the procedural and contextual features of research into NI. (DB)

Encourages music teachers to discover ways to apply research findings in their classrooms. Considers how teachers' attitudes, approaches, and applications affect research utilization. Provides a sample music listening lesson on themes and variations by applying research findings extracted from "What Works: Instructional Strategies for Music…

Argues teachers must be able to correctly interpret and evaluate research design and results to effectively use research to improve instruction. Offers five guidelines for teachers to consider before changing teaching methods in response to research results. Favors longitudinal and cross-sectional studies for best long-term results from…

Presents four educational experiments reflecting Jerome Bruner's theories on iconic and enactive representation to emphasize the need for more research on how children learn. Advocates greater institutional cooperation among schools, teachers, and researchers to improve research implementation and reduce problems of school disruption and…

Reports on activities and concerns of the Soviet Union's Academy of Pedagogical Sciences in conjunction with educational reform. Calls for systematic improvement, of which "the pedagogy of cooperation" is only a part. Emphasizes creative teaching methods and better coordination between research and classroom practice. Reviews individual…

Reports on a "What Works Workshop," held at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. Explains that the program brought together researchers and music teachers to explore problems of applying research findings to music classroom practice. Examines examples of research utilization that the workshop clarified. Lists strategies that workshop…

A conference on research to practice in adult, continuing and community education included the following papers: "Education as a Community Intervention Strategy" (Ashcraft, Andrews); "Assessing Educational Needs of Adults: An Ohio Extension Example" (Bratkovich, Miller); "Questions and Issues Related to a Lack of…