Scientifically based research used to inform evidence based school reform efforts has been required by the federal government in order to receive grant funding since the reenactment of No Child Left Behind (2002). Educational evaluators are thus faced with the challenge to use rigorous research designs to establish causal relationships. However,…

In this article, the author focuses on bridging the gaps among research, innovation, and practice. First, the author reflects on historical perspectives involving the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Second, the author explores the current climate as reflected by three national reports highlighting future roles of…

With plans to improve a Technical Report Writing course, writing faculty and engineering technology faculty formed a faculty learning community (FLC). Although discussions were often productive, it was often difficult to gauge consensus and differing views among the group members. In a previous study, Q methodology, a measure of subjectivity, was…

In the 2000 movie "The Perfect Storm," there is an unusual convergence of several critical weather factors that set the stage for a destructive outcome that takes both property and lives. It has become a popular metaphor to describe how events come together in a unique way to have an exceptional influence on something, typically a negative impact.…

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe a design that mixes single-case (sometimes referred to as single-subject) and qualitative methods, hereafter referred to as a single-case mixed methods design (SCD-MM). Minimal attention has been given to the topic of applying qualitative methods to SCD work in the literature. These two…

A survey of assessment and instructional approaches to literacy education in middle schools was distributed to coordinators of reading programs in schools state-wide in Illinois to determine the alignment between existing schools' literacy program organization and new directions mandated by researchers for instruction for young adolescents. This…

Educational researchers and policy makers have come to rely on data from sample surveys. However, survey research on educational issues poses some special challenges. In many respects, the survey methodology issues in educational research are the same as those throughout the social and behavioral sciences. These issues concern obtaining the best…

The theme of the 2006 MWERA conference, Teaching and Learning in an Electronic Era, offered an opportunity to reflect on opportunities and challenges created by new technologies. This paper focuses on applied educational research and identifies a set of interrelated research opportunities enabled because of the Internet. While these opportunities…

Educational policy frequently refers to change in some form and accountability measures are enacted to ensure the change is occurring. Yet, the most critical education decisions that alter the educational landscape are often made with static test score data and do not take into account the pattern of growth that may be occurring, even though…

Scholars conducting research in classrooms face a myriad of ethical issues somewhat unique to the educational setting. While the Code of Federal Regulations (45 CFR 46) generally provides that educational research be classified as exempt from review by Institutional Review Boards, those same regulations provide a host of special conditions under…

Accountability countability, choice, equity, and social cohesion are core parts of the public debates over the charter school movement. To examine these important issues, we utilize the "1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey" to estimate the possible charter effect on public and private schools. Analyses of charter, public,and private schools…

In this keynote address presented at the Mid-western Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in October, 2004, the author discusses the increasing interest of federal policy-makers in scientifically-based research. A comparison between education and other disciplines is offered, and a proposal for increased rigor in educational research is…

The advent of high stakes state testing in K-12 education and The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, with its focus on "scientifically-based research" (SBR), has opened new challenges for both undergraduate and graduate preparation programs in education. This address will report on how we are currently preparing our undergraduate and graduate…

The Model of Domain Learning (MDL) is described as a means of studying academic development or the systematic changes that occur in learners as a consequence of formal education. The differences between the MDL and traditional theory and research in expertise are overviewed, along with the components and stages of the model. Implications of the…

Emancipatory Pedagogies is the capstone experience for our Alternative Education Programs Licensure program. Employing non-traditional pedagogies, we taught Emancipatory Pedagogies for the first time in the summer of 2002. The reading list included several chapters from "The Paulo Freire Reader" (Freire and Macedo, 2001) and "We Make the Road by…