The purpose of this study was to empirically determine the effects of quantified violations of the underlying assumptions of parametric statistical tests commonly used in educational research, namely the correlation coefficient (r) and the t test. The effects of heterogeneity of variance, nonnormality, and nonlinear transformations of scales were…

This paper examines how various equating methods are affected by: (1) sampling error; (2) sample characteristics; and (3) characteristics of anchor test items. It reviews empirical studies that investigated the invariance of equating transformations, and it discusses empirical and simulation studies that focus on how the properties of anchor tests…

The hypothesis of this paper is that the patterns of political influence on public school systems are changing. Public school systems are subject to so many political influences that one can raise the question, "Who governs?" The educational policy-making procedures seem to have become politicized in the wake of the turbulence of the 1960's. The…