This report reviews existing data related to post-school outcomes for individuals with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), discusses why these data may be misleading, and describes what the special education field is doing to improve the post-school outcomes for individuals with EBD. In the first part of the paper, outcomes related to three…

This report analyzes existing national data sets to determine their utility in studying teaching, learning, and assessment issues as they affect postsecondary student outcomes. The analysis used Astin's Input-Environment-Outcome model to evaluate student and faculty databases that are intended to be nationally representative, are recent or…

Reviews current knowledge of the most frequently asked questions about child sexual abuse, in areas such as its prevalence and trends, and what populations are at risk. Data presented from 19 adult retrospective surveys show that the incidence of reported child sexual abuse is rising, that less than one-third of the cases were committed by…

Examines relevant case law regarding confidentiality in educational research. Argues that the benefits to society of educational research and the notion of academic freedom provide a rationale for extension of limited legal privilege of confidentiality to educational researchers. Proposes a code defining the nature and extent of research…

This article describes data requirements in Public Law 99-457; discusses issues confronting states as they develop data systems, such as the problems of comprehensiveness, incompatibility, and confidentiality; examines data on numbers of infants and toddlers receiving early intervention services; and explores applications of a national database on…

This paper addresses the need for quality e-Learning experiences. We used the Demand-Driven Learning Model (MacDonald, Stodel, Farres, Breithaupt, and Gabriel, 2001) to evaluate an online Masters in Education course. Multiple data collection methods were used to understand the experiences of stakeholders in this case study: the learners, design…

This paper examines existing research regarding the problem of school dropouts. It examines the historical context of the problem and discusses current definitions and methods for identifying dropout characteristics and computing dropout rates. Few incentives exist for accurate record-keeping on dropouts. School finances are often linked to…

Research on sex differences in communication has produced mixed and contradictory results. An erroneous overlap exists between self reports of male-female behaviors, others' reports of perceived behaviors, and stereotyped projections based on social conditioning. The solution to this confusion in gender communication research may be triangulation,…

Should private employers have a right of access to criminal history record information in order to make employment decisions about applicants and employees? This book addresses both legal and operational questions relating to the use of criminal justice data for private employment and decision-making purposes. The informative, non-prescriptive…

This publication presents a data collection system useful in measuring the success of vocational programs for special needs populations as well as current descriptive/demographic information on special needs populations nationwide. The first of four chapters provides a general characterization of special populations and specific definitions for…

The purpose of this brief is to summarize the methodologies and outcome measures used in Post-School Outcomes follow-up and follow-along studies of adolescents with disabilities. As a requisite in the Request for Proposal for funding of the National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO), knowledge development activities were to include: "Conducting a…

This review of the literature investigates ways to apply student-centered math activities in fifth grade standards-based curriculum. My goal for this project is to discover and share several ideas about how to effectively implement student-centered math activities within the standards-based curriculum requirements that dominate today's public…

This article discusses the importance of obtaining developmental history in the screening and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in children. Steps for obtaining developmental history are described and general guidelines are provided. Instruments for collecting developmental history and diagnostic indicators for autism spectrum disorders are…

Those who study education policy have struggled to understand how money matters in education and why educational research finds no strong or consistent relationship between expenditures and student performance. The papers in this publication were commissioned by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to address the twin concerns of…

This report examines, country by country, the present state of student access to higher education institutions in the Member States of the European Community (EC), as well as the elements which affect access directly and the elements which can potentially have an effect on access. Volume 1 of the report gives an overview of the methods of data…