The Status Of Education Research And Development In The United States

Study prepared for the OECD on the present status and future growth of research and development in respect of educational research in the USA - covers the organization of primary education, secondary education and higher education, examines economic resources, management technique and impact of educational policy and practice, and concludes that the absence of an overall strategy, inadequate financial support, labour shortage and imperfect statistical tables are the main obstacles to educational development.

Governments urgently need better national information bases for determining educational policy and practice in an increasingly interconnected world. This report, from the first phase of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), presents a framework for improved international cooperation in improving the knowledge base for educational practice and policy formation. The information is based on CERI seminars and country reports from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The first chapter presents the statement of the problem and explains how the study was conducted. The second chapter examines some of the pervasive criticisms directed at educational research and describes some implications for research policy. An analysis of what the term "educational research and development" means is presented in the third chapter. Chapter 4 describes the current position of educational research in a group of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, using several indicators of research-and-development finance and staffing. Chapter 5 discusses how educational research relates to policy and practice and how this relationship might be improved. The sixth chapter considers what the knowledge base in education is and could be like. What are the interests of the various constituencies and how can these interests be better aligned? The last chapter presents a summary of the main challenges and describes the options for government policy. One figure and four tables are included. Appendices contain case studies of innovation in educational research and development (R&D), a list of subject interests from country reports, and a description of the methodology used in measuring indicators of educational R&D. Each chapter contains references. (LMI)

This volume reports on the Case Study Project, an initiative that evaluates the experiences of math and science teachers across the United States and includes levels of schooling and achievement levels. The report focuses on typical public schools in the United States at three levels: elementary, junior high, and senior high with the intent of creating a composite profile of typical schools. The volume is divided into five chapters: "Rationale for the Study,""The Development and Implementation of Education Standards in the United States,""Individual Differences and the United States Education System,""The Role of School in United States Adolescents' Lives," and "Teachers and the Teaching Profession in the United States." Results show that the typical school had adopted curriculum standards or guidelines proposed by state departments of education, rather than by a national body. One exception to this was the influential set of national guidelines developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Despite the general interest in standards, the choices made by parents, teachers, and students reflected many values, of which the desire for independence was one of the strongest. Students who were surveyed exhibited high optimism, especially those students from middle- class families. (RJM)

The Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in the U.S. Department of Education has a mandate for expanding knowledge of teaching and learning and for improving education in this country. This book focuses on how OERI can better fulfill that mission in light of what is known about why prior education reforms have often failed, what is needed to enhance the effectiveness of such efforts, and what education research and development can contribute to better schools. The history, mission, governance, organization, functions, operations, and budgets of OERI are analyzed. Recommendations are made for restructuring OERI, expanding funding, involving scholars from many fields, and engaging teachers and school principals in improvement efforts.