Describes characteristics and activities of university-based education policy centers. Summarizes the circumstances surrounding the establishment of these centers, and focuses on the missions and activities of existing centers. Discusses the rationale for a national network of centers, and surveys issues to be addressed. Lists 18 university-based…

Responds to Robert Slavin's article "Design Competitions: A Proposal for a New Federal Role in Educational Research and Development" (Educational Researcher, 1997). Compares two approaches to improving federal educational research and development management: the System of Expert Panels, and Proposed Design Competitions. Key similarities…

Responds to Sue Klein's comparative analysis on Design Competitions and Expert Panels (Educational Research, 1997) in which the author addresses drawbacks of the Expert Panels approach to educational product evaluation. Cautions that the approach is so minimalist a strategy that it could inhibit more serious attempts to build a system based on…

Proposes the need for a design competition system (DCS) in federally funded educational research and development and discusses the key issues that a DCS must address in methodology. Also addresses the high cost of using a DCS and whether such costs can be justified. Concludes that a DCS is justified and necessary. (GR)

Examines the structure of Indian teacher education, current criticisms of it, and the themes of research and innovation. Identifies many parallels between North American and Indian practices and asserts that, like the American system, the structure of Indian teacher education lacks mechanisms to promote experimentation and research. (KH)

Uses the literature on teacher change and learning to teach, and examples from a teacher change research project, to examine how research can be used to bring about change in teaching practices. Suggests that the empirical premises derived from research, combined with a teacher's practical knowledge, can produce teacher change. (FMW)

The education finance bill recently passed by the federal government has changed the funding of many programs within the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Budget lines that gained or lost are traced, with some explanation of the changes. Prospects for the 1993 federal education research budget are reviewed. (SLD)