This document describes the research design that will guide the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's efforts in constructing procedural knowledge ("know-how" or working knowledge) needed to transform low-performing school districts and schools into high-performing learning communities. Little is known about procedural knowledge…

This report, the fourth in a series of annual reports on school crime, presents the latest available data on school crime and student safety. National indicators affirm that the levels of crime in school have continued to decline, that acts that promote fear and detract from learning are decreasing, and that students feel safer in school than they…

This 6th edition volume presents a detailed report on the growth of programs for persons with disabilities at the federal level and in the states. The two chapters of part one provide a cross-disability perspective, "An Institutional History of Disability" (David Braddock and Susan Parish) and an empirical study across federal, state,…

This study examined the use of interactive educational television (IETV) in secondary school classrooms. Distance education directors were asked to respond to questions involving the use of IETV programs within their schools. Twenty-three high schools in the Southwest were randomly chosen. Sixteen schools presently used IETV, five previously used…

Responding to an increasingly urgent need for collaboration between mathematicians and mathematics educators, the study reported in this paper engages mathematicians as educational co-researchers in a series of themed Focus Group interviews where a pre-distributed sample of mathematical problems, typical written student responses, observation…

We can fill the gap between theory (of ambitious teacher education) and practice (in mathematics classrooms) more easily, when we take into account that teacher education is not only explicit acquisition of knowledge and methods but also development of individual personal constructs of mathematics and mathematics education. But how can we get…

For technology to make a difference in transforming teaching and learning in schools, it must be accessible to students and teachers. This access is predicated on the expenditure of funds to initiate and support the technology investment. This article summarizes the analysis of the 1992-93 financial data reported to the New York State Education…

This paper provides an overview of the data collection, analysis, and reporting system of the British Columbia Ministry of Education, a system that is intended to improve the results obtained by the school system. The background of the system is described, and how it is used to assist in school improvement is outlined. The system's success to date…

This report discusses the outcomes of a practicum designed to address the lack of parent participation in American Sign Language (ASL) training by parents of children with hearing impairments. Using a pretest-posttest design, 46 parents of children who are deaf and receive services from a school for the deaf were surveyed. Based on the needs…

This report, the fifth in a series of annual reports on school crime, presents the latest available data on school crime and student safety. The data present a mixed picture of school safety. Rates of criminal victimization in school have declined or remained constant, and students seem to feel more secure at school than they did a few years ago.…

This book is a collection of 19 essays that broadly treat the use of evidence in informing educational policy and practice in Canada: (1) "Knowledge and Action in Educational Policy and Politics" (Benjamin Levin); (2) "Data, Data Everywhere (and We Don't Know What to Do): Using Data for Wise Decisions in Schools" (Lorna M.…

in this era of standards, high-stakes testing, and accountability, school leaders need to know how they can increase the achievement of their students. Researchers have found that high-achieving schools show common, key factors, including challenging learning experiences for all students, a principal who fulfills his/her role as the instructional…

High schools are increasingly expected to use data for improvement and to provide evidence that programs and instructional practices are preparing all students to develop essential knowledge and skills. This publication describes how schools can develop the capacity to analyze and use data as a core component of improving secondary schools using…

This paper addresses components of a 3-year longitudinal study in which 9th and 10th grade students in Australia, Canada, and Zambia participated in data-handling programs through networked learning communities. Of interest here are the students' responses to a selection of "ends-in-view" problems, which formed the major part of the…

The initiatives taken by one school district to support professional development for principals in using data for school planning and reform were studied. A data-planning training model was developed in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) (California) to build skills principals need to read, interpret, and use multiple sources of…