Most education reporters from time to time will tread into the world of education research, whether to gauge charter school achievement, the impact of teacher quality, or the effects of a reading program, among myriad possibilities. But making sense of the research, with its often-impenetrable prose, dizzying figures, and mathematical formulas,…

This addendum to previously published results presents alternative analyses of data from large-scale effectiveness studies of Cognitive Tutor Algebra I in middle schools and high schools. These alternative analyses produce results that are substantively the same as previously reported. We find a significant positive effect of 0.21 standard…

This paper offers a practical guide to use null hypotheses significance testing and its alternatives. The focus is on improving the quality of statistical inference in quantitative communication research. More consistent reporting of descriptive statistics, estimates of effect size, confidence intervals around effect sizes, and increasing the…

Tennessee Code Annotated 49-5-108 specifies that the State Board of Education "with the assistance of the department of education and the Tennessee higher education commission, shall develop a report card or assessment on the effectiveness of teacher training programs." The State Board is directed to "annually evaluate performance…

Proposes and illustrates a new method by which "what if" analyses can be conducted using estimated true population effects. Use of these "what if" methods may prevent authors with large sample sizes from overinterpreting their small effects once they see that the small effects would no longer have been statistically significant with only a…

The purpose of this paper is to examine economic significance as a fourth measure of significance. In addition to describing and operationalising the concept of economic significance, a typology of economic significance indices is presented, including an example of how to compute these measures, as well as how to utilise them in applied research.…

This is the Phase I report for a needs assessment and accompanying study sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education which was conducted during the 2010 calendar year. This report seeks to determine the importance of nine essential elements to being classified as a school in need of improvement. 61 schools are involved in this study…

Researchers, journal editors, textbook authors, and those responsible for writing publication manuals must work together to enhance the thoughtful reporting of statistical results and to make clear the necessity for reporting effect sizes. (SLD)

Suggests that researchers should report the results of appropriate significance tests and the effect sizes associated with each test. Discusses the roles of textbook authors, publication manuals, and journal editors in leading the movement to better statistical reporting. (SLD)

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) provides participating schools an Institutional Report that includes (among many documents) mean comparisons, frequency distributions, and student respondent data as part of its standard reporting package. Sifting through all this data can leave even experienced researchers wondering where to start…

Offers a framework for remedying some of the problems associated with the use of statistical significance tests through modifying journal editorial policies. Reviews examples from some journals that have established guidelines for reporting results of statistical significance tests. (SLD)