There is a continuing need in evaluation research for the establishment of a relationship between evaluation findings and decision making. A method is proposed for a particular situation: annual funding decisions for projects in a large grant program in vocational education. Outcome and predictive impact variables were ranked by three groups of…

Selected issues in educational research and development are discussed as they relate to local educational agencies and institutions of higher education. Local education agencies are defined as public supported schools (elementary, middle/jr. high and high schools) and institutions of higher education as state supported colleges and universities…

An evaluation strategy is suggested which is designed to determine the effects of continuing education programs on the health care delivery system and to augment that effect. Topics dealt with include the distinctive aspects of continuing education; evaluation criteria; relationships among evaluation criteria; results of a review of literature on…

This report is a retrospective account of a single research project conducted between 1973 and 1976 which involved a field study of the administrative feasibility of vouchers for skill training in the Work Incentive Program (WIN) in Portland, Oregon. (The program was designed to change relationships among clients, WIN staff, and training vendors,…

This manual describes a system of procedures (model) constructed for the purpose of improving occupational student follow-up in California community colleges. The model was developed by a consortium of 12 leaders in California community colleges, with input from others. A fundamental component in the model is a uniform method for classifying…

In recent years, gradually increased acceptance and heightened attention have been granted to extrasensory perception (ESP) research as a legitimate branch of scientific inquiry. This research holds significant implications for education despite difficulties involved with its consideration. Extrasensory perception, an organism's apparent access to…

While the evaluation of organizational consultation is becoming a more public activity, there is still much to be learned in this area. The complexity and uniqueness of most organizational consultation have contributed to the paucity of studies to evaluate the processes involved. Organizational consultation is an ongoing process; continual…

Under a grant from the Ford Foundation, the Higher Education Research Institute is focusing a major research project on American Indians, Blacks, Chicanos, and Puerto Ricans, the four groups most underrepresented in American higher education, in an effort to determine each group's current status and progress since 1970 toward equitable educational…

The findings of nine studies comparing the symbolic play of middle-class and lower-class children are summarized and examined in detail. Related research problems are discussed and directions for future research are indicated. Examination of the studies indicated that few general conclusions can be drawn from them about the relative quality of…

This report describes the construction and use of a conceptual framework and procedures for a program-fair, comparative, classroom-focused assessment of 4 kindergarten reading readiness (KRR) programs in kindergarten classes of 115 school districts. Instructional program information systems were developed to provide the means to aggregate and…

Perhaps the most effective way to increase the utilization of behavioral science knowledge by policy-makers is for the behavioral scientist to become one. The psychologist who serves as a policy-maker becomes aware of the policy issues in addition to relevant empirical evidence. The author, a psychologist, relates his experience as a member of a…

Research on classroom teaching is discussed within the conceptual framework of the analysis of student classroom tasks. Three types of learning tasks are illustrated: understanding; memory; and routine problem-solving according to an algorithm. It is contended that most classroom research projects study teachers' and students' actions, rather than…

Three areas are addressed in this paper: the family-in-crisis motif; the family as educator; and parent education. (1) The family in crisis: The family-in-crisis motif pervades both professional and popular commentary on the contemporary American family. There are powerful continuities in our perception of the American family crisis in every…

A survey was conducted to identify problems associated with cooperative research projects between universities and local education agencies (school districts); personal and organizational census data were also collected. Sixty-seven research directors from large city schools, 59 researchers in local agencies, and 24 college of education deans…

Psychological literature seemingly provides contradictory answers to the question of whether women and men are equally effective as leaders. There are generally two approaches used to answer this question: assign males and females the role of leader, keeping certain extraneous factors constant, and then compare leader or group effectiveness; or…