Influences on Production and Quality, Agency
Comments, and Our Response

to extend invitations to researchers to suggest alternative approachesthereby fostering creativity—it must be remembered that the scope of the work (for example, the questions to be answered) is generally specified in requests for proposals, leaving less room for the imaginative researcher.

With regard to the reduction in the number of individual awards, the department noted that the fiscal year 1986 field-initiated research program resulted in 10 awards. Compared with 1984 and 1985, when no awards were made (see table 2.1), this is clearly an improvement, but it still represents an 83-percent decline from the number of unsolicited proposals awarded in 1980. Therefore, we believe that while there have been some signs of restoring this aspect of the department's information portfolio, fewer opportunities for "fresh ideas" from the field are available now than in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

Appendix I

Random Samples of NIE and OPBE Activities for Fiscal Years 1980 and 1985

Table I.1: Random Sample of NIE Activities for Fiscal Year 1980a

Activity

To examine microprocessing technology in schools

Research on the psychological process underlying reading comprehension

To assess cognitive development of high school geometry students

To identify the influence of mothers, parenting skills for preschool children

To improve plans for in-service

teacher education in San Marcos through research

To find ways to increase evaluation productivity for decisionmaking and cross-study management

To inform state-level education policymakers and others about recent finance developments To survey and assess the literature and theory of the private organizations of teachers

To study the organization of magnet schools

To conduct and provide

technical assistance

To support experimental activities that demonstrate ways of increasing numbers of minorities and women in advanced educational research ERIC Clearinghouse for Junior Colleges

Dissemination capacitybuilding grants

To provide training and supportive services to NIE's education policy fellows

Historical inquiry of teachers' perceptions of their profession 1840-65