This paper explores ways in which IRISS (Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services) promotes the delivery of cost effective social services in Scotland that support the achievement of positive outcomes. The approach to evidence-informed practice is characterised as four pillars of activity. The first focuses on improving awareness…

In a time of diminishing resources and increased accountability, it is important for school leaders to make the most of every dollar they spend. One approach to ensuring responsible resource allocation is to closely examine the organizational culture surrounding decision making and provide a structure and process to incorporate research and data…

Converting research findings into practical applications is an important concept to education but one that has been overlooked by the educational research community until recently. While a model for turning concepts into practical applications has been developed and field tested for human service practitioners, the model has not been directly…

Comparison of two studies in the United Kingdom and Switzerland regarding the efficacy of vocational education research and development highlights the importance of more rigorously establishing what happens to research results. Steps must be taken to ensure that such projects have a positive impact on practice and justify their costs. (SK)

This document contains three papers from a symposium on new perspectives in education that was conducted as part of a conference on human resource development (HRD). "A Systems Model for Evaluating Learning and Performance" (Hallie Preskill, Darlene Russ-Eft) describes a model for HRD developers to use in evaluating learning and performance that…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on evaluating the impact of human resource development (HRD). "The Politics of Program Evaluation and the Misuse of Evaluation Findings" (Hallie Preskill, Robin Lackey) discusses the status of evaluation theory, evaluation as a political activity, and the findings from a survey on the…

This book contains 19 papers examining innovation in open and distance learning through development of online and World Wide Web-based learning. The following papers are included: "Innovation in Distributed Learning: Creating the Environment" (Fred Lockwood); "Innovation in Open and Distance Learning: Some Lessons from Experience…