The first task force meeting, co-organized by the Center for Education Statistics and CCSSO, was convened in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 13?15, 1988. The purpose of this meeting was to explore alternative strategies for a cooperative federal-state education statistics program that would be broad in scope, encompassing the Common Core of Data…

Describes the elements required for a well-designed questionnaire, including appearance, question writing, organization, and cover letter. A checklist for effective questionnaire design is provided, as well as seven references. (BK)

The purposes of this handbook are to provide a comprehensive guide to standard terminology relating to property (sites, buildings, and equipment) used in education, a list of suggested data items useful in describing property, general data items useful in describing property, and general guidelines that can assist the reader in understanding and…

Descriptions are given for the 164 computerized files that comprise the Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS). The system provides natural resources information to federal, state, regional, and local and private entities. File descriptions are organized under the following data and information content areas: (1) base data, (2)…

Tips on constructing survey instruments and examples of alternative formats for questionnaire items are provided in this paper. The 18 tips cover such areas as instructions for respondents, wording of questionnaire items, grouping of items, handling of difficult or sensitive questions, fixed-response items, open-ended questions, and questionnaire…

The book presents a model recordkeeping system (Youth Services Information System--YSIS) for use with problem youth, including the developmentally disabled and delinquents. It is explained that the system is designed to support the planning and delivery of youth services, to maintain client-oriented case records and central files, and to produce…

The steps involved in conducting a valid needs assessment are described and some problems to be avoided are discussed. Needs assessment begins with a set of educational goals. It is important that community opinion be obtained regarding the goals to ensure that they represent the interests of all involved in the educational process. Once the goals…

This booklet was designed to serve as a stimulus and guide for those persons interested in collecting information and source material concerning the cultural and historical contributions of ethnic groups in Pennsylvania. The contents consist of three sections: suggestions for collecting, examples of Pennsylvania folklore, and an annotated…

The manual provides vocational educators with information and guidelines regarding the design and use of questionnaires and interviews for gathering data and the construction, tabulation, and analysis of both open ended and forced response survey instruments. The first of nine chapters deals with surveys as a data collection technique, discusses…

This booklet is intended to serve as a step-by-step layman's guide to conducting a community survey, tabulating the findings of the survey, and presenting a final report of the survey findings. It is written in simple nontechnical language and contains numerous examples of various survey forms and procedures. Among the major topics discussed are:…

An outcome of a study of adult basic education programs initiated three years ago by the Columbia University Center of Adult Education, the evaluation guide with its step-by-step instructions can be used for both formative and summative evaluations of adult basic education programs. Background research involved in this publication included direct…

This document presents a report of the Computer Aids for Chemical Engineering Education (CACHE) Committee concerned with references to previously measured physical properties. A partial list of data that are of use to the chemical engineer is assembled in three tables. References are listed by title, author, publisher, and date. Following each…

This report presents recommendations for compiling inventories of state health data sources in an attempt to stimulate preparation and publication of a "Compendium of State Data Sources for Health Planners" for each state. Areas considered are: (1) planning the project; (2) technical assistance available; (3) kinds of data needed; (4)…

This handbook endeavors to provide information and advice to noncommercial broadcasting stations on how to perform ascertainment studies in conformance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. Additional suggestions are made to enable stations to obtain in-depth information about community needs, wants, and interests. The…

This guide provides recommendations for collecting accurate, comparable, and useful data about virtual education in an elementary/secondary education setting. Its goals are to: (1) identify components common to many education information systems that are necessary to meet the information needs of policymakers, administrators, instructors, and…