Although most school districts and schools are routinely involved in data collection, they do not typically use the data they collect in a systematic fashion to identify strengths and weaknesses and develop improvement strategies. One reason for the lack of data use is the perception that the data are being collected for someone else's purposes.…

This essay derives from roundtable discussions of teams from seven research universities involved in a Knight Collaborative Engagement on Academic Indicators and Information Systems to Guide Resource Decisions. While colleges and universities are built on the premise that good data, well tested by an often adversarial process of discovery and…

This Unesco report, one in a series, examines the sources of data used in educational decision making in Greece and proposes innovations in the information system to promote educational planning. The main source of quantitative data is the National Statistical Service of Greece which regularly publishes data concerned with all educational levels.…

One of a series of sixteen knowledge transformation papers, this paper deals with the nature and extent of use of evaluative data by administrators in vocational education. First, the following conditions which govern the use of the data are described: availability, reliability, credibility, utility, and consistency. Since the legitimacy of most…

This issue includes the following nine papers on the theme of collecting and utilizing information on vocational training in Europe: "Information on Vocational Training in the Federal Republic of Germany" (Hardenacke); "Devolved Decision Making in the U.K. Demands Wide Dissemination of Information" (Cowan, Brown);…

The Unesco report, one in a series, examines education in Thailand. It studies the general framework of information systems within the Ministry of Education, assesses the availability and use of information for decision making in planning and curriculum development and identifies the problems concerning the information system. There are four…

Children and youth with special health care needs frequently require health care during the school day. School evaluations and Individual Educational Plans should include health information addressing students' daily health and emergency needs, should assure services in a setting that is academically appropriate and in the least restrictive…

This paper, one of a series of Unesco technical information reports, looks at the educational decision makers in developing nations and examines their access to and use of information and research results. Written in English and in French, the paper consists of five parts. Part one discusses problems encountered by educational policy-makers and…

Ways that higher education institutions can improve their compliance procedures in responding to external requests for reports and information are addressed. Institutional officers must first determine how the data will be used by the external agency. By questioning how the requested information will be used, a determination can be made of what…