Discussion of the research/practice gap in higher education suggests the importance of considering the forces influencing new faculty and researchers, including tenure and promotion policies and practices, institutional socialization, disciplinary culture, journal editors, and senior scholars. Offers suggestions for bridging the gap between new…

Suggests a new role for researchers in higher education, a teaching role requiring the researcher to make findings relevant, useful, and understandable to practitioners. Considers the educational role of individual researchers, educational accountability of the research community, and accountability measures for educational research. (Author/DB)

Using a sociocultural framework, this article describes the importance of mediated learning and the difference between theoretical and empirical learning for developing scientific literacy. Components of scientific literacy are identified and a conceptual model adapted from ethnomathematics is used to demonstrate effects of theoretical learning on…

Discusses the concept of "horrendous death" (those caused by other people) and its application in the Adult Health and Development Program at the University of Maryland, a multi-ethnic, interracial, intergenerational health promotion and rehabilitation program. This service-learning program applies gerontological health theory and…

Addresses issues in the persistent gaps between the generation and use of scientific knowledge in educational and therapeutic practices in language disorders. Two science-practice linkage models are discussed for applicability to improved practice. Strategies for integrating research with practice are considered, with case studies illustrating the…

Discusses how research on practice can be disseminated to teachers in a way that informs school improvement initiatives. Reports on a project investigating how middle managers in 15 (British) schools received and used findings from research on departmental effectiveness. Without specific support, managers regarded the dissemination process as a…

Brain research must be carefully examined before the implications for education emerge. Getting new neuroscientific information into schools and shifting from traditional educational models is an almost impossible feat. A direct extrapolation of brain research to current educational practice is inappropriate. Also, superseded mental models of…

School and union officials in California's Lompoc Unified School District turned what was an adversarial and distrustful process into highly collaborative one. The Lompoc experience suggests certain elements are crucial in transforming labor relations: (1) critical number of visionary key players; (2) sense of trust throughout the organization;…

Neo-liberal and neo-conservative groups have become allies committed to redefining our ideas about democracy, equality, and the common good. This article examines how moral and biological arguments are being used to justify conservative policies in education and the larger society. Alternative progressive models are advocated. (26 references) (MLH)

This response to "Behavior Disorders: A Postmodern Perspective" (Elkind) suggests that the field must increase dependence on scientific data and theories to guide educational policies and research and assume responsibility for the impact of decisions on the lives of students and families. The perils of assuming a postmodern perspective are…

Examined whether changing understandings of educational purposes would constitute an important component of teachers' developing practical theories. Fifth-year teachers viewed a recorded sequence of classroom teaching/learning, then explained their understanding of what they saw. Respondents varied in how they understood educational purposes.…

Educational research in Finland, the development of which is traced over 40 years, has been aimed mainly at the Finnish community of educators, and relatively little has been published abroad. The main concepts of Finnish educational research were imported from Europe before World War II, and most of the country's educational research has been…

A public relations model provided the basis for the five-step ROPES college fund-raising model: (1) research on the institution, the funding opportunity, and the publics targeted; (2) objective setting for both office output and program impact; (3) programming to meet those objectives; (4) evaluation of the effectiveness, not just efficiency, of…

Discusses the advantages of a four-year undergraduate liberal arts program for preparing students to lead educational, therapeutic, and recreational experiences in outdoor settings. Recommends a curriculum design that balances training and education with reflection and action (praxis). Outlines the content of an outdoor leadership curriculum and…

Explores principals' leadership role by examining the business and general leadership literature. Applies Robert Katz's framework of technical, conceptual, and human skills to key organizational concepts and themes described by several writers (James MacGregor Burns, John Gardner, Stephen Covey, James Kouzes and Barry Posner) and the U.S. Managers…