This commentary for a special issue of "Remedial and Special Education" (RASE) on the perspectives of senior scholars (a) opens with some comments regarding the role of measures we use in behavioral science to pursue scientific truth and then (b) discusses the three most impactful developments in emotional and behavioral disorders over…

This article describes "Success for All," a comprehensive reform program for elementary schools, with a focus on strategies the program uses to increase the chances that the program will remain in use over extended periods. Key elements held to increase the program's longevity include the provision of full-time facilitators to maintain program…

Weaknesses in the field of education that have implications for collaborative research are considered, and education is compared to the more mature professions of health sciences and engineering which have agreed-upon standards and controls. Educational practitioners and researchers are seen as turning to collaborative decision making to bridge…

Research as a means to advocacy is discussed in this commentary on the research articles published in volume 16, issue 3 of "Remedial and Special Education." The role of quantitative and qualitative methods is considered, along with the researcher's ideological perspectives on research, and the importance of generating knowledge that promotes…

Offers a six-step campaign to improve education by applying research findings to practice. The steps are: (1) target important visible problems; (2) build a powerful, dedicated coalition with a prominent, credible leader; (3) staff the campaign; (4) assemble the right information; (5) launch the campaign; and (6) implement solutions. (DB)

A review of the literature identified 43 studies that provided instruction in money skills for individuals with mental retardation. Most studies taught money skills in the context of making purchases or classroom instruction on money computation. Guidelines are offered for research and practice. (DB)

Issues concerning cooperative efforts between teachers and researchers are considered, based on the experiences of an educator who served as a cooperating teacher in three classroom research projects and a collaborative researcher in another project. Commentary is provided on what collaboration really means, the slowness of change, planning,…

This article examines how the related concepts of risk factors, protective factors, and resilience relate to postschool outcomes for youth with disabilities, especially the adult transitions of youth with high-incidence disabilities. Issues related to research and practice are identified, including building resilience through support at the…

Proposed educational reforms of instruction and the curriculum are briefly examined, and ways that research and practice can be better coordinated are discussed. Experiences in grade three mathematics instruction are shared to illustrate how blurring the boundaries between teaching and research might enhance both endeavors. (SW)

Three years after seven teachers had participated in an intensive year-long professional development experience in three multilevel reading practices (partner reading, collaborative strategic reading, and making words), all but one teacher sustained one or more of the practices at a high rate, as determined by classroom observation and interviews.…

This article describes the conceptual professional development model and implementation activities used in Florida to ensure that scientifically based instructional practices are used within the state's classrooms. It reports on the model and practices that have been implemented and validated through collaboration of research professionals, the…

The federal role of developing connections between researchers and practitioners in education is discussed, with attention to the activities of the Office of Special Education Programs' Division of Innovation and Development. Changes in the roles of teachers in applying research knowledge are considered. (SW)

A review of the research on developing reading comprehension skills in students with learning disabilities found strongest outcomes for teacher-led questioning and self-questioning strategies, text enhancement strategies, and strategies involving basic skills instruction and reinforcement. (DB)

This response to an article by Jeanne Schumm and Sharon Vaughn on professional development programs to help teachers accommodate students with disabilities in the regular classroom considers the process of connecting personal knowledge to the external knowledge base gained through theoretical, empirical, or practical information sources. (SW)

A review of research identified features characteristic of effective reading programs, especially explicit phonics instruction integrated with vocabulary of student reading materials. Analysis of several commercially published first-grade basal reading programs found significant discrepancies between strategies supported by the literature and the…