Research and the practitioner at the regional education service agency

Practitioners in a regional education service agency have a singular and unique view of reality. Perceptions of theory, research, and development need to be seen in the context, the setting of the agency, the kind of staff it attracts, the nature of the relationship between the staff and the local school district, and how the staff performs through its own initiative and/or responds to expressions of need by local school leadership. Simply stated, the regional service agency is a user rather than a developer of new knowledge, for it tends to be more concerned with troublesome and persistent problems at the local level. Acting as consultant/broker/disseminator, the staff of the agency is mindful of the principles of local problem ownership and local involvement in planning for problem identification and uncovering alternative solutions. In performing its role, the regional agency acts as collector, filter, synthesizer, and analyzer of an inordinate amount of extant research ranging broadly in topical areas and incorporating fundamental research as well as theory and applications of products and processes. The greater the extent to which such information can be transferred expeditiously through inhouse mechanisms, the better able the staff member of the regional agency is to facilitate improvement at the local level. At the same time, the staff member is in a good position to