Sensitivity to context variables marks the third phase of effective schools research (ESR). The first phase was one of explicit concern for equity, challenging the works of Coleman and Jencks which suggested that achievement differences were more associated with family background than school variables. This research focused on low socioeconomic…

This report examines participation rates in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. TRIM2, a microsimulation model that simulated the eligibility and benefit rules of the AFDC program on a state-by-state basis, showed that there had been a dramatic decline after 1981 in the rate at which AFDC families were applying for and…

This document describes approaches in conducting naturalistic studies in two different countries with contrasting educational settings. Naturalistic research methodology is described by one of the writers as "an explicit undertaking to lay aside our ideas and concern ourselves with finding the subjects' perspectives in their non-theoretical…

One of a series of annual studies undertaken by the Library Research Center for and on behalf of the Illinois State Library, this report provides a detailed, question-by-question examination of the 143 responses (84% of the 170 Illinois academic libraries polled) to the 1981/82 Higher Education General Information Survey/Library General…

According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), scientific leaders estimated in 1982 that between $1 and $4 billion was necessary to update university research equipment. Because of this large cost variance, GAO was requested to assess how well past studies have defined the nationwide deficiency in university research equipment and to suggest…

This document summarizes a 1982 project of the National Institute of Education (NIE) in which seven scholars, representing a variety of disciplines and ideological positions, were commissioned to write papers on the effects of school desegregation on black achievement. As previous efforts to arrive at a consensus among experts regarding…

A meta-analysis was conducted of simple confirmation feedback, which informs the learner whether a response was correct or incorrect, and feedback which provides the correct answer. Following initial selection of 72 studies of computerized and printed instruction, 15 studies were identified which met the selection criteria of involving: (1) adults…

The focus of this review is on observational measures of pupil classroom behaviors. Two issues are raised in connection with these measures. First, there is a survey of the types of observation schedules employed in recent classroom intervention research. Second, there is an evaluation of the validity of these behavioral measures. That evaluation…

Philosophical analysis was used to interpret a large-scale attitudinal survey that dealt with, among other factors, teachers' attitudes toward computers in the classroom. This analysis of the study considers the role of philosophical analysis in the context of empirical inquiry. To measure the impact of computers in the classroom on teachers in an…

This report describes two studies, one comparing Florida students' performance to national norms on the General Educational Development (GED) tests, the other comparing performance on the GED tests and the Florida State Student Assessment Test, Part II (SSAT-II). In the first study, a representative sample of 1,200 high school seniors completed…

The multiple perspectives of participants in a program review process at three schools of education were determined, along with the effect of these perspectives on enactment of program review policies. Participating schools were Emporia State University, which has a large teacher education program, and the University of Kansas and Kansas State…

This monograph updates a 1978 publication titled "The Scientific Basis of the Art of Teaching." Based on lectures presented during the 1983-84 academic year, this work discusses research on teaching to provide a substantial scientific basis for the art of teaching and for the education of teachers in that art. For several decades, one research…

This is a report on the proceedinqs of the Workshop on Evaluation Strategies for Urban Intervention Programs sponsored by the Education Forum Branch of the U.S. Department of Education and held on October 23, 1980. The report contains the remarks delivered by the workshop speakers as well as the questions and statements of different panelists.…

Based on the experience of developing and implementing a cooperative study of the economic impact of Oregon's community colleges, this guidebook describes the process of conducting the study in order to assist institutions planning to undertake similar investigations. In Part I, the purpose, focus, and scope of the Oregon study are reviewed, and…

This conference report identifies research needs in evaluating and documenting large scale school improvement efforts to serve disadvantaged populations. Summaries of the conference presentations are provided, grouped into three sections. The first section examines the basis of conducting evaluations. Several basic assumptions are challenged,…