Textbooks in developmental and abnormal psychology were examined for references to the Milwaukee study of the effects of early intervention on intelligence. The absence of citations to articles in refereed journals shows how research data of questionable validity can seep into the research literature without going through the journal review…

Articles in this special issue discuss the utilization of social research by governmental commissions. How social science knowledge influences their decision making is examined. (RM)

Argues that the routine use of experimental or quasi experimental designs in educational research often constrains the value of its conclusions. Also critizes educational research for its atheoretical nature and its paucity of conceptual frameworks. (GC)

Briefly discusses six articles dealing with the role of psychology and psychological research in improving economic productivity. Considers: (l) effects of drug abuse and alcoholism and of psychological programs on employee productivity; (2) methods for analyzing the economic impact of organizational improvement programs; and (3) psychologists'…

Examines factors that might explain the increased interest in research on school effectiveness; summarizes three articles that deal with school improvement and effectiveness research; and stresses the importance of using exceptional schools' research in developing school improvement strategies. (MJL)

In an attempt to understand why the promise of educational innovation has not been realized, educational innovation, its ideological and paradigmatic underpinnings, and the major stages of the innovation process are critically examined. The centrality of power and the generation of correspondence and contradiction as key analytical concepts are…

Describes four stages of policy formulation (issue definition, deliberation on policy options, authoritative allocation, and performance oversight) and four types of policy-relevant social research (descriptive, explanatory, critical, and forecasting). Proposes a model showing the linkages among research types, policy-making stages, and policy…

Part of a special issue on organizational research utilization, this article reviews 27 empirical studies on the utilization of social science research. Its conceptual framework for utilization includes action generation, information processing, affective bonding, and strategy formulation and control. The authors identify 3 types of utilization…

Argues that those in charge of teacher evaluation should recognize research as a basis for structuring their observation and appraisal activities. (FL)

An annotated bibliography lists journal articles and ERIC documents dealing with the use of educational research in teacher education. (CJ)

It has now become fashionable to base conservative social policy and political decisions on the reports of neoconservative social scientists. Thus, it is important to examine the political and historical context of the new Coleman report, which purports to have found evidence against busing for school desegregation. (Author/GC)