University‐district collaboration for promoting change in curriculum and classroom practices

Abstract

While many educators would argue that the primary goal of research is to produce theory and knowledge, the role of the researcher as a tool for change has received recent respectability. Interest in educational research was signaled by the Cooperative Research Act of 1954, designed to improve education through the development, demonstration, and dissemination of research activities. Reinforced by the establishment of the National Institute of Education in 1970, federal funding for research and development gained considerable momentum over the past decade. The National Teacher Corps Program, funded through the Office of Education, represents one example of the federal commitment to adapt research so that it can assist in responding to the needs of public education. Research adaptation, as conceived by educators, involves utilizing the findings of basic research to address local educational problems. The Teacher Corps was well suited for a research adaptation thrust because of the federal mandate for participants from the university, school district, and community to collaborate on issues relevant to the education of low income children. University faculty could draw on their expertise and training to assist in identifying the educational problems facing local districts while the practitioners, school personnel, and community members could assist in adapting the research into practical applications. This paper describes the Teacher Corps Program, develops the concepts which are inherent in