Recent findings from a Mathematica study comparing the performance of teachers prepared via alternative and traditional routes have been interpreted to suggest that policymakers and practitioners should expand the use of fast-entry alternative routes and seek teachers trained through such programs, as they presumably perform as well in the…

The issue of the "research-practice gap"--the problematic relationship between research in education and educational practice--has been widely reported in the literature. This critical literature review explores some of the causes and features of the gap and suggests some possible approaches for addressing it. These solutions involve changes in…

Background: A growing literature is questioning the appropriateness of a research dissertation for practitioners in education doctoral programs. Although this literature persuasively critiques the prevailing theory-research orientation of most programs and theses, it goes little beyond exhorting change and describing extant alternatives in a few…

Ruth Wade replies to an article written by Georgea Sparks in the same issue of "Educational Leadership" (EA 518 309) as a response to Wade's meta-analysis of inservice teacher education also appearing in this issue (EA 518 308). A closer look at the major findings is needed. (DCS)

This study used meta-analysis research techniques to determine if there are differences in General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) validities and test scores between males and females. The sample consisted of 26,111 subjects from 122 Specific Aptitude Test Battery (SATB) validation or revalidation studies analyzed since 1972. Four approaches were…

The article reviewed research on professionals', consumers', and others' judgments of the restrictiveness, social acceptability, and estimated frequency of use of procedures to decrease problem behaviors of disabled persons. Most respondents agreed that more restrictive procedures should be used as a last resort and that less restrictive…

This article is a response to Ruth Wade's meta-analysis of inservice teacher education research in the same issue of "Educational Leadership" (EA 518 308). Factors making a difference in inservice education are identified, but more work needs to be done in understanding the specific, practical details, allowing application. (DCS)

Findings of 79 research reports were analyzed to assess the effects of calculators on student achievement and attitudes. Except in grade four, use of calculators in concert with traditional mathematics instruction improved average students' basic skills with paper and pencil, both in working exercises and in problem solving. (MNS)

Substantive and methodological problems encountered in a five-year synthesis of research on college impact are discussed, including general issues in higher education research and scholarship, relevance of assessments of student change, unnoticed indirect effects of college experience, inattention to individual differences, validity of common…