This report was commissioned by the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) Board of Directors and a workgroup comprising seven special education researchers (Bryan Cook, Chair; Virginia Buysse; Janette Klingner; Tim Landrum; Robin McWilliam; Melody Tankersley; and Dave Test) who developed, vetted, and piloted the new standards for determining…

Three issues of this newsletter of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) provide articles, columns by the Institute Director, and news items. The major articles include: "Adapting the Marketing Concept to the Dissemination and Utilization of Disability Research"; "NIDRR Grantees' Q & A about…

There has been an increasing focus on evidence-based practices in special education with efforts underway to authoritatively identify those practices that are evidence based. However, the identification of evidence-based practices is only the beginning of the process of implementing evidence-based special education. The professional wisdom of…

A review of research supported by the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) focuses on practical applications of research findings on family involvement in special education. The findings identify how family life can be utilized as a source of children's learning opportunities, concluding with four suggested…

This article identifies and discusses key components of a research-based whole school approach to bullying prevention. Discussion focuses on ways to increase awareness and understanding, characteristics of targets (often students with special needs) and bullies, facts on bullying, and six bullying prevention practices, for example, train targets…

This article presents a rationale for incorporating elements of participatory research approaches into intervention research intended to improve practice. After an overview of the research-to-practice problem, it illustrates how the incorporation of participatory research approaches applied to various decision points can enhance the construction…

This essay begins by discussing the current cynicism regarding the usefulness of research-based strategies in the field of education. Using examples of high-quality research that utilizes diverse methodologies, a framework is presented for thinking about various types of research and their implications. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article describes the usefulness of a scientific approach to improving knowledge and practice in special education. Of four approaches to knowledge (superstition, folklore, craft, and science), craft and science are supported and implications for special education drawn including the need to bridge the gulf between research knowledge and…

This article describes a process that teachers can use to translate information in research studies into practical lesson plans. Examples are drawn from the self-determination literature to illustrate how to identify the objective of the study, setting and materials, content taught, teaching procedure, and method of evaluation. (Contains…

Presents a format for assisting educators in translating educational research into classroom interventions. Steps include identifying the problem, seeking a variety of sources, reviewing information, selecting primary sources, distinguishing between theory and opinion, reviewing the parts of a research article, and translating the research into…

Discusses the alternative roles and responsibilities that researchers might assume to bridge the gap between special education research and practice. Addresses why some research-based practices fail and the roles of researchers as collaborators, facilitators and coaches, interpreters of culture and dynamics of the school, and critics. (Author/CR)

Reports on the initial results of a four-year longitudinal study of the model used by the Juniper Gardens Children's Project, which was designed to make research more trustworthy, useful, and accessible. The successful collaboration between the University of Kansas researchers and eight local inner-city elementary schools in Kansas City is…

This article summarizes and analyzes 43 pieces of professional literature pertaining to paraprofessional supports for students with disabilities published between 1991 and 2000. The findings identify topical gaps in the literature, review the major data based findings, and present implications for the field. Suggestions for future research stress…

This paper addresses issues in the utilization of research by special educators. It urges researchers to do better research and policymakers to make better choices. Criteria for good research-based procedures are offered. Discussion is organized around common frustrations of special educators, strategies for improving the link of research to…

This article considers reasons for the gap between research and practice in special education including the unique separation of the research and practice communities in special and general education, the limited relevance of educational research, the failure to articulate manageable research-validated interventions, and the weak opportunities for…