This article describes the governmental and cultural contexts for educational research in Botswana and the important role research plays in the development of educational policies. The effects of limited resources are illustrated in several examples regarding special education and other services for children and adults with disabilities. (Contains…

This article describes the Math Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), a research-based practice developed with heavy teacher involvement. A case study of a school where Math PALS was developed, researched, and continues in use is followed by a discussion of principles for sustaining the use of research-based practices. Extensive figures detail…

This article discusses problems with traditional top-down methods of disseminating educational innovations to teachers and proposes a conceptual framework in which teachers share a primary role with educational researchers in the development of innovative practices. Focus is on the critical dimensions of teacher change as they participate in the…

Study examined how teachers understand research in light of their prior beliefs about what research is and how it should influence their teaching by questioning 13 teachers about 5 articles they read. Found that many teachers focused on the product of research rather than the main ideas and evidence in support of that product. (MDM)

Discusses practitioners' doubts about the value of theory in counseling. The relationship between theory and practice is a sensitive one in the debate on competencies, and an illuminating one in that on postmodernism. Practice is improvisational, and is refined by frameworks provided by theory, critical thinking, and "reflective…

Describes how pre-service teachers at one elementary school participate in Grand Rounds (borrowed from the medical profession). Participants observe master teachers demonstrating model lessons and interacting with students. During a debriefing session, student teachers ask questions and discuss their observations with master teachers. Later, they…

Describes an interactive summer school teaching initiative in the United Kingdom that engages newly qualified secondary science teachers as mentors in the teaching of biotechnology. Highlights include course structure and format; opportunities for practical work; group work; peer assessment; course evaluation; and student attitudes. (Contains 52…

A Massachusetts two-way bilingual education program provides initial first-language (L1) literacy development for all students, teaches half of the curriculum in L1 and half in L2 by third grade, and selectively integrates native and non-native speakers of the target language. Both target groups meet academic and linguistic goals by fifth grade.…

Describes dual language instruction models, and presents a paradigm for examining congruence among theoretical models, teacher beliefs, and actual classroom practices to determine program effectiveness. Examples illustrate implementation pitfalls. Analysis of Proposition 227 finds it to be a decontextualized procedural model; it has an incoherent…

Discusses how child development research, social policy design, and human service delivery for children and families reflect three separate yet related cultures. Argues that transmitting knowledge from the academy to social policy and practice could be facilitated by a simple taxonomy differentiating established knowledge from both reasonable…

Forms part of a themed issue describing "Parent-Kid-Teacher Investigators," a program in which parents, children, and teachers gather regularly to use language and literacy for action research projects. Explains the philosophy, assumptions, and intentions behind the program, and research that supports it. Offers action examples of how each belief…

Examines the concept of authenticity and the way this notion has evolved in language testing and general education. Presents a study looking at the importance of authenticity for test takers, and shows that test takers are willing and able to identify the attributes of a test likely to affect their performance. More research is needed if the…

Describes potential contributions of theories of person-environment fit to understanding of the transition from school to work. Provides specific implications for integrating these concepts into school-to-work programs including: students need to spend time in exploration that leads to self-knowledge; programs should teach elements of…

Addresses questions that need to be considered in future theoretical and research agendas about how extant career theories provide conceptual insights into the content and process of school-to-work transition. Questions include (a) "Why are career theories not developed to account for the school-to-work process?"; and (b) "Are the proposed career…

Builds on the assumption that colleges and universities are organizations and subsequently that the organizational perspective provides important insights for improving retention on campuses. A review of existing organizational studies of undergraduate persistence serves as the basis for ten empirically-based recommendations for practice that are…