A focus group of 49 teachers revealed that teachers do use research, but they seek it out under very specific conditions. They also use different criteria than researchers use to judge the quality of research. For teachers, important factors include an ethos of localized learning, a shortage of time, and the primacy of local context. Researchers…

When they found themselves overwhelmed by the university experience of combining teaching, publishing, and service, the authors decided to meet regularly to discuss their experiences and frustrations with academic publishing in order to learn as much as possible from their pooled experiences. Here, they reflect on the obstacles they have faced and…

Before schools and districts invest their scarce resources in the products that educational researchers have developed, teachers, administrators, and community members need to become informed consumers of educational research. This article strives to bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners by exploring how to become an informed…

Critiques Arthur Jensen's concept of a "reality principle" in educational research from the March 1984 "Phi Delta Kappan." Emphasizes that objectivity and ideology are complementary, not contradictory, aspects of educators' work. (MD)

Arthur Jensen replies to the critique by Steven Selden. He points out that scientists' choices of subject matter are subjective, but heritability of intelligence is no longer argued among experts. (MD)

Almost half of the 13 million children aged 13 and under are estimated to have no supervision after school hours. Communities and schools must develop responses to the problem tailored to local needs. (MD)

Outlines the 1984 Superior Council of Education's report on the status of education in Quebec (Canada). (MD)

Presents a summary of findings from the spring 1984 Gallup Poll of Teacher's Attitudes. (MD)

Reports results from the 1984 Canadian Education Association poll of public opinion of education. This is the first Canadian survey of its kind. (MD)

Analyzes six myths about education and explores their justifications. The underlying assumptions are unsupported by educational research. A bibliography containing 71 citations is appended. (MD)

Data gathered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) can be used to analyze the relative effects of educational systems in different countries. A simplified example of such analysis utilizes variations among countries, among age cohorts within countries, and between subject matter competencies within…

The Second International Mathematics Study conducted by the International Association for the Evalaution of Educational Achievement examined mathematics teaching and its outcomes at the 8th- and 12th-grade levels in the United States and 21 other countries. This article reports on preliminary U.S. findings and their implications. (PGD)

Differences in the corrected state rankings on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores are explained by the percentage of students taking the test and by student composition by sex, race, and average family income. Higher state per capita educational expenditures are significantly related to higher average SAT scores. Policy implications are…

The second half of a dialogue between two fictional teachers examines the significance of statistical significance in research and considers the factors affecting the extent to which research results provide important or useful information. (PGD)

A dialog between two fictional teachers provides some basic examples of how research that uses approved methodology may provide results that are significant statistically but not significant practically. (PGD)