A brief review of the papers presented at the Symposium on Research and Evaluation Methodology highlights some of the major issues of research in Indian Country. There is a need to translate research results into terms that are meaningful at the local level, yet the act of doing this reveals tensions between scientific objectivity and advocacy.…

Correctionist models of error, problem, and omission presume that Standard English (SE) is the sole language variety of America. America's classrooms, however, are neither culturally nor linguistically monolithic. Instead, they are diverse, and current teaching metaphors do not reflect the linguistic and cultural realities of the classrooms. This…

This paper constructs a framework for understanding research partnerships with youth and uses this framework to examine a project in which university researchers collaborated with youth to examine their educational institutions and the contexts of their learning. Adult researchers trained and supervised 21 "youth ethnographers" to carry out…

This paper describes and analyzes the experiences of an inquiry group that was part of a National Science Foundation-funded elementary mathematics teacher enhancement project, the "Mathematics for Tomorrow Project." Inquiry group meetings focused on discussions and interpretations of data that teachers have brought from their classrooms. A…

The U.S. Congress passed the Arctic Research and Policy Act in 1984 and designated the National Science Foundation (NSF) the lead agency in implementing arctic research policy. In 1989, the parameters of arctic social science research were outlined, emphasizing three themes: human-environment interactions, community viability, and rapid social…

An action research study addresses validity and value in teacher education by discussing thematic constructs and making specific normative underpinnings explicit. Concerned with developing teachers' abilities to create democratic classrooms and dispositions toward social justice, this study is a multi-layered, longitudinal inquiry into classroom…

This paper describes a 2-year project establishing an interpretive community of field-based teacher researchers and a university-based teacher researcher at four urban preschools in San Francisco, California. The primary research focus of the project is an examination of practical and theoretical connections between current notions of…

Pueblo communities want local research to be linked to community needs. To address this requirement, university research must shift from a set agenda that addresses personal or professional goals to a flexible design that moves toward a community-based goal. This can be achieved through collaboration with the Pueblo community. Key to developing…

This book presents an inside look at the "white talk" of teacher education students, presenting information from an action research project in which student teachers and faculty explored white racial identity, examined the meaning of whiteness, and confronted the difficulties of thinking critically about race and racism. The book strives to deepen…

A study examined the process of evaluating family-oriented substance abuse prevention efforts in three Native American communities. In general, the Native communities exhibited a lack of commitment to academic evaluation research due to concerns over who would gain from such research, how much value was placed on Indian opinions, the level of…

Professional educators, practitioners, and educational researchers should reflect upon and be self-critical of their professional attitudes and activities. Success in achieving educational goals depends upon a change in predominating attitudes and recognition of interdependency. (Author/CJ)

Discusses declining Federal support for educational programs under the Reagan administration and identifies inconsistencies in Federal arguments to support current educational funding policy. Challenges researchers to provide an analytical framework within which policymakers concerned with the financing and direction of education would be…

Twenty-six congressional staff members dealing with educational legislation were surveyed concerning their sources of information and the relative importance and value of educational inquiry in various stages of the policy process. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations regarding improvement of the process were made. (MH)

Describes a comprehensive educational needs assessment conducted by the Gallup Organization for the Los Rios Community College District, and relates its findings to the District master plan. (AYC)

A study investigated the knowledge and skills of college and university institutional researchers (n=601) in relation to their perceptions of the effectiveness of their work. Analysis found that relationships between background characteristics, knowledge and skills in institutional research, and perceptions of effectiveness were minimal.…