The application of scientific research has resulted in tremendous gains in many fields. However, Slavin (2002) noted that educational research has been applied haphazardly in schools. The gap between research and practice is particularly problematic in special education, as learners with disabilities require highly effective instruction to reach their potential. Accordingly, bridging the research-to-practice gap is a prominent theme in contemporary special educational reforms. For example, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 both emphasize using research as the basis of training and practice. Yet, important caveats exist for using research to identify what works in special education. Research is difficult to conduct in real world educational settings, error is present in all research, not all research is designed to examine the effects of instruction, and research is sometimes conducted poorly. All of these issues can result in inaccurate research findings that should not serve as a basis for practice. Thus, rather than relying on the findings of a single, potentially flawed study, research consumers should identify effective practices on the basis of multiple, high-quality studies that use experimental research designs and demonstrate robust effects on student outcomes (i.e., evidence-based practices or EBPs).To guide the identification of EBPs in special education, prominent special education scholars delineated (a) indicators of high-quality research and (b) criteria for identifying EBPs on the basis of those high-quality studies for group experimental (Gersten et al., 2005) and single-subject research (Horner et al., 2005). The pioneering work of Gersten et al. (2005) andHorner et al. (2005) has been applied to examine the evidence base of practices in many areas of special education (e.g., Cook, Tankersley, & Landrum, 2009b) and has been instrumental in advancing evidence-based special education. Yet, these scholars were charged with identifying and describing indicators of quality research (Cook, Tankersley, & Landrum, 2009a), not 557271R SEXXX10.

This article examines the community of practice model as a framework for integrating educational research and practice. This perspective extends current notions about collaborative inquiry and the role of teacher participation in research aimed at improving educational practices. In addition to defining communities of practice and describing reflective practice and situated learning as the theoretical underpinnings of this approach, the article analyzes applications of this model from the literature and offers suggestions for transforming traditional methods of conducting research on educational practice. The article concludes with a challenge to the field to consider ways to promote dialogue and inquiry to advance our knowledge on this issue.

This article reviews the literature comparing outcomes for young children with disabilities in integrated and segregated settings. An examination of research methodology, dependent measures, and programmatic variables is used to analyze the effects of preschool integration across 22 studies. Despite some methodological weaknesses, an analysis of findings provides support for the benefits of preschool integration with respect to social and other behavioral outcomes. Children's developmental outcomes over time have not been shown to vary as a function of integrated versus segregated placement. The article concludes with a discussion of these findings and their implications for future research and practice in early intervention.

Reaching consensus on the meaning of professional development is needed to integrate professional development across various sectors of the early childhood field, distinguish various professional development approaches, match learning opportunities to learner characteristics, and evaluate its effects on professional practices and child and family outcomes. This article proposes a definition and conceptual framework for professional development across all sectors of early childhood and describes methods used to validate them. A case example illustrates how the definition and framework can be used to organize and plan professional development. Future directions for how a shared definition could move the field closer to a shared vision for planning, implementing, and evaluating professional development are discussed.

This article describes professional perceptions of the current status of family involvement in early intervention programs in four states. Significant discrepancies between current and ideal practices were found in four dimensions: parent involvement in decisions about child assessment, parent participation in assessment, parent participation in the team meeting and decision making, and the provision of family goals and services. In identifying barriers to ideal programs, professionals most frequently mentioned family barriers (35.8%) and system barriers (35.1%). Professional barriers, or those related to a lack of skill, accounted for only 14.8% of the barriers mentioned.

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This study examined the effects of social setting on the friendship formation of 333 preschool children (120 children with disabilities and 213 typically developing children) enrolled in inclusive early childhood programs. The study found that typically developing children in specialized classrooms had significantly more friends than did children with disabilities in those same settings. In child care settings, however, the difference between the reported number of friendships for typically developing children and their peers with disabilities did not reach statistical significance. Implications are presented for considering how the social ecology of the early childhood classroom setting may influence social outcomes for young children enrolled in inclusive programs.

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