The goal of this chapter is to provide a brief introduction to one of the most rigorous nonexperimental analytical methods currently employed by education researchers: regression discontinuity.

The recruitment and retention of the highest-quality artist educators in colleges and universities is a key element in supporting strong K-12 arts education programs. Artist educators must be expert in at least two disciplines: their art forms and education. However, the peer review processes commonly employed to recommend higher education faculty…

Public school critics often point to rising expenditures and relatively flat test scores to justify their school reform agendas. The claims are flawed because their analyses fail to account for the difference in data types between dollars (ratio) and test scores (interval). A cost-benefit analysis using dollars as a common metric for both costs…

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) was designed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to evaluate the quality, equity, and efficiency of school systems around the world. Specifically, the PISA has assessed 15-year-old students' reading, mathematics, and science literacy on a 3-year cycle, since…

Systematic review methodology can be distinguished from narrative reviews of the literature through its emphasis on transparent, structured and comprehensive approaches to searching the literature and its requirement for formal synthesis of research findings. There appears to be relatively little use of the systematic review methodology within the…

Internationalization is possible, but the objectives need careful consideration. It is noted that the majority of countries do not have any form of test quality procedure and that only a small number have reviews, registration, certification, or some combination of these approaches. Internationalization could provide benefits at the least by…

District and school administrators are challenged to provide learning environments that help students attain and surpass set levels of academic and social learning. In times of economic strife, discussions often turn to the efficient use of financial and human resources to maximize school districts' capacity to fulfill those objectives. Most…

Documenting treatment integrity is an important issue in research and practice in any discipline concerned with prevention and intervention. However, consensus concerning the dimensions of treatment integrity and how they should be measured has yet to emerge. Advances from three areas in which significant treatment integrity work has taken…

This article defines educational evaluation; describes its role in education; and compares and contrasts it to measurement, research, and learner appraisal. Evaluation is shown to have an important role in play in education, notably in relation to program improvement. Limitations of educational evaluation are noted. (Author/JAZ)

Reports on a review of empirical research reports submitted over the past several years to the "American Journal of Distance Education" that identified common analytic problems and errors often overlooked by distance education researchers. Topics discussed include significance testing; assessment issues, including reliability and…

This chapter discusses the evolution of alumni studies in the United States and how alumni data can be used to inform public policy.

One of the issues facing educational research workers today is the determination of the similarities and differences between countries and cultures in the factors that influence educational outcomes. The author of this article proposes a new approach to this problem. Usually when countries are compared, the complete student samples are taken into…

This volume contains an edited transcript of the Rockefeller Institute's October 29, 2007 symposium (Chicago, IL) entitled "Intergovernmental Approaches to Strengthen K-12 Accountability Systems" as well as a framework paper circulated in preparation for the symposium. The transcript begins with a list of the forty state and federal education…

Highlights issues and controversies concerning current race-related educational research. Contends that some critics believe research sacrifices empirical objectivity for political goals. Partisan research supporters respond that all research begins with untested assumptions and an acknowledgment of purpose does not signify a skewed methodology.…

Wise use of Department of Education program evaluation funds is considered. The following current principal evaluation areas are discussed: (1) compensatory education; (2) bilingual education; (3) postsecondary education; (4) vocational education; (5) early childhood education; (6) drug education; (7) dropout prevention; (8) special education and…