This article highlights key online teacher professional development (oTPD) areas in need of research based on a review of current oTPD research conducted in conjunction with an oTPD conference held at Harvard University in fall 2005. The literature review of this field documents much work that is anecdotal, describing professional development…

The purpose of this case study was to understand engagement in action research as a form of professional development for practicing principals and the subsequent knowledge constructed as a result. The research team followed five principals through 1 year of professional development, which focused on supporting each principal in the design and…

Design-based research is a burgeoning research paradigm holding the promise of introducing more socially responsible studies to transform education. However, there is a lack of methodological standards and established research processes to inform this type of study. Although there are general principles and procedures on design-based research,…

Focus groups can be a useful tool for program promotion and development and recruitment in business administration. Participants and moderators must be carefully selected, and the interview guide should include open-ended questions. Generalizations drawn from the data should be made with caution. (SK)

This is one of a series of eight short monographs intended to aid practicing educators in planning and conducting accountability programs in schools. This booklet discusses how to select a statistical technique that is appropriate to the objectives of a particular research or evaluation effort. Short sections focus in turn on classifying a study,…

Interdisciplinary research and education have long been part of the university programmatic structure. More recently, however, university interdisciplinary projects, programs, centers, and institutes have grown in number, diversity, and complexity. This growth generally reflects the need for new combinations of disciplinary knowledge and research…

This handbook, designed as a guide for new evaluators in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, provides an orientation to the "Discrepancy Evaluation Model" and a detailed outline of the administrative procedures necessary to conduct day-to-day activities in the first two stages of program evaluation. Guidelines for use during the first stage of…

Presents general systems models (ballistic system, guided system, and adaptive system) and an evaluation matrix to help in examining training evaluation alternatives and in deciding what evaluation is appropriate. Includes some guidelines for conducting evaluation studies using four designs (control group, reversal, multiple baseline, and…

A project was undertaken to develop a curriculum for a course in computerized legal education that could be used at Highline Community College in Midway, Washington. As part of the curriculum development effort, project staff reviewed relevant literature, visited colleagues at the University of Washington and the University of Puget Sound Law…

Provides guidelines for replicating promising parent-involvement programs from research in schools. Setting goals and choosing programs carefully to match these goals are vital in assuring that programs live up to expectations. Successful programs are comprehensive, collaborative, and adaptable; have ongoing training and technical assistance; and…

This manual is designed primarily as a guide for libraries undertaking a formal study of preservation needs as a foundation for planning programs to meet those needs. Based on the "assisted self-study approach" process, it presupposes a library staff large enough to permit the assignment of about two dozen people for an average of 5 or 6…

Based on a research project that sought to train instructors to conduct action research in a real-life context, this handbook was created to help literacy instructors to use action research in workplace education programs. The handbook is organized in three parts. The first part describes action research as a type of practice-based research. It…

This guide contains information on community action programs for vocational education for members of the European Community. Following an introduction to the concept of community action for vocational training in the new information technologies, the guide outlines the features of community action. These include a training policy, a network of…

These guidelines, which summarize the content of desegregation program evaluation studies, are organized into five chapters. The first is an "Introduction and Overview." Chapter 2 specifies desegregation program variables which are important in planning and designing evaluation studies. The structural and student variables that are required in the…

An approach to educational research that is receiving renewed attention is participatory action research (PAR), which emphasizes a bottom-up approach to research as well as useful outcomes. PAR is a philosophy, and not a methodology per se. It is a deliberate, goal-directed, structured, and applied means of obtaining information that looks to…