Describes a survey of members of the Educational Software Evaluation Consortium that resulted in a ranked list of 22 criteria used in preparing their annual software preview guide. Noting that content and pedagogical concerns received the highest rankings, the report offers five recommendations for future software development, evaluation, and…

The knowledge base of state politics involved in formation of educational policies has become richer and more complex, with individual research findings beginning to hang together. Continued study of political cultures and policy makers' orientations is needed to create a knowledge base that can support theory development. (CB)

Reviews research to show that researchers with stopwatches may miss many aspects of reading instruction, including (1) that students continue reading and learning outside of the reading group, (2) that learning to read involves feelings, and (3) that learning to read is more than time spent looking at words. (FL)

Ron Lippitt discusses the possibility of using community development theories and strategies as a research perspective for studying new ways to govern and manage community colleges. Contrasts community development and organizational development, identifies key reference sources, and highlights strategies that might lead to productive start-ups and…

A cognitive social learning model for stress moderation was tested using 531 junior high school students. Higher levels of stress were found for younger students, White students, females, and those with upsetting life events. Locus of control, Type A personality, and knowledge of stress did not appear to moderate levels. (Author/MT)

This article introduces a model for studying stress in adolescents and reviews some of the research that relates to the model. It also suggests areas in which further research is needed in studying the effects of stress on adolescents. (MT)

Argues that the need for research on the community college is intensified by the ever-changing character of learner needs and community conditions. Addresses two criticisms of two-year college research: the same questions are researched repeatedly and the effort overtaxes institutions. Calls for a stronger research base on the two-year college.…

Explains that the concept of message discrimination was originally developed as a means of determining actual units of content that individuals extract from encounters with mass media and describes the relationship between message discrimination and the two related concepts of systematic information availability and knowledge. (DF)

Reviews legal requirements for use of social science expertise in environmental impact statements and reasons for the general failure to include such input. Explores possibilities for improving social science involvement including legal challenges, cooperation with environmental and public interest groups, objective research, and more adversarial…

An exploratory field study of 1,156 Oregon school administrators identified 12 sources of stress shared at all administrative levels. These stressors included complying with rules, attending meetings, completing reports on time, gaining public support, resolving parent-school conflicts, evaluating staff, making decisions affecting others, and five…

This article is a review of studies on whether vocational schools are an effective educational device for training the youth of developing countries to enter the world of work. Although the studies differed in their findings, some common themes reappear in their recommendations to make vocational education in these countries effective. (Author/CT)

Presents an analysis of the concept of "teacher participation in school decision making," a set of empirically based hypotheses concerning the current scope and extent of teacher participation, and an outline for a systematic program of research that could provide information for policy development concerning teacher participation.…

Data from seven California elementary schools suggest that effective instructional leadership is both multidimensional and sensitive to school socioeconomic status (SES); in low SES schools, it involves direct supervisory activity and attention paid to school climate. Twenty-six reference notes are appended. (MLF)

An investigation of social behavior measures obtained from interviews and a wide variety of cognitive variables rarely produced significant relations. Results suggest that rather than trying to place social intelligence within a cognitive abilities taxonomy, a separate taxonomy of social intelligence should be developed. (Author/BS)

Reviews the barriers to involving American Indians in educational research and proposes a method of training American Indian researchers within mainstream of graduate education. Presents a model for the design, collection, and annotation of American Indian research materials. Uses the American Indian family as a topic to illustrate the model. (SB)