Until recently, much of the research on students' understanding of statistical ideas has focused on their conceptions of center or on what constitutes a good sample. In the past decade research on students' statistical thinking has broadened and increasing interest has been paid to how students think about variability in data or variability in…

Less than optimum strategies for missing values can produce biased estimates, distorted statistical power, and invalid conclusions. After reviewing traditional approaches (listwise, pairwise, and mean substitution), selected alternatives are covered including single imputation, multiple imputation, and full information maximum likelihood…

This analysis exploits the variation across states in the timing of policy implementation to determine if family cap policies lead to a reduction in births to women aged 15 to 34. Vital statistics birth data for the years 1989 to 1998 offer no such evidence. The data reject a decline in births of more than one percent. The finding is robust to…

Library historians and historians of literacy have been more creative than journalism historians in using individual-level historical data such as deeds, wills, depositions, surveys, and census figures to study reading behaviors of the past. For example, the series of family cost of living surveys conducted in the United States by state and…

Intended to foster greater understanding of employment projections available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this paper describes their development, their limitations, their use, and publication details. The methods used to develop BLS occupational employment projections are first described: projection of the labor force based on…

The mathematical sciences, based largely in academia, are crucial not only for the development of new knowledge but also as a needed resource in the education of our technological work force. As with other scientific professions, the challenge of meeting the growing need for workers in the face of shrinking supplies will require a program of…

Data collection and analysis are frequently neglected by school leaders over the course of the decision-making process. All schools gather large amounts of information about students and teachers, but most data are used to satisfy administrative requirements rather than evaluate school improvement in a systematic fashion. Apprehension regarding…

In part stimulated by the information needed by the Private Industry Councils (PICs) under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Amendments (1978), a growing number of groups and agencies have conducted surveys of local employers to gather various types of occupational data. Such activities may be useful and productive, if the data collection…

This document presents statistical information on children with special needs, their education, and the professionals who serve them. Graphs, tables, and charts are used to illustrate: (1) the number of children receiving special education services from 1989 to 1999; (2) the incidence of different disabilities; (3) the growth of students in the…