Progress monitoring is a method of keeping track of children's academic development. Progress monitoring requires frequent data collection (i.e., weekly) with technically adequate measures, interpretation of the data at regular intervals, and changes to instruction based on the interpretation of child progress. This report presents two cases that…

The initiatives taken by one school district to support professional development for principals in using data for school planning and reform were studied. A data-planning training model was developed in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) (California) to build skills principals need to read, interpret, and use multiple sources of…

Seven institutional research maxims based on research and theory about how people cognitively process information are discussed: more may not be better; augment humans with models; chunk data wisely; know decision-makers; heuristics are not always helpful; arrange tables by patterns; and accept negative evidence and new hypotheses. (Author/MLW)

An important part of strategic or long-range planning is assessing the environment external to the institution. Many statistics are already compiled by external agencies. Some sources of information are identified, an assessment classification procedures is presented, and a sample of excerpts of the results of an assessment is provided. (MLW)

The Judicial Evaluation Method (JEM) is useful for aiding decision-making bodies to formulate policies. Broad public participation in complex issues is provided by JEM. (The conceptualization, policy formulation stages, and participant roles are identified; and the model is applied in two case studies). (MH)

Presents an account of Italy's environmental research project carried out by five high schools, titled the Water Analysis Project. Examines the historical and socioeconomic context in which it grew and developed; its objectives, processes, professional and pedagogical results. Discusses student and teacher benefits from the project. (MCO)

This article shows how the methods of survival analysis (also known as event history analysis) lend themselves to the study of the timing of educational events. Using examples from teacher attrition and student dropout research, survival methods are introduced for building statistical models of the risk of event occurrence over time. (Author/SLD)

Describes steps in a process-improvement project for reserve book services at the University of Arizona Library: (1) plan--identify process boundaries and customer requirements, gather/analyze data, prioritize problems; (2) do--encourage divergent thinking, reach convergent thinking, find solutions; (3) check--pilot solutions, compare costs; and…

Two data collection activities focused on improvement in the identification of giftedness among Australian aboriginal children. Interviews with urban aboriginal community members were followed by a survey of aboriginal teachers in Queensland. Findings resulted in the modification of Frasier's model of identifying gifted minority and disadvantaged…

In the Philadelphia Public Schools, a computer system called Data to Success has been created to assess student progress prior to end-of-year testing. The five-stage system allows a school to influence teacher decisions, identify student warning signs, and monitor important trend and analysis information throughout the school year. (MLH)

Describes a general research framework applicable to any mode of distance education. Using interactive-television-based classrooms as an example, illustrates the use of the framework along with relevant theories to develop research propositions. Reports exploratory evidence based on personal experiences, interviews with students and professors,…

In recent years, there have been numerous papers discussing the importance of improving the link between health promotion researchers and practitioners. Several reviews have been undertaken to determine the extent to which health promotion research is disseminated to, and utilized by, practitioners in the development and implementation of health…

The article presents an approach to emergency response training that combines simulation of hazardous environmental factors with extensive registration of the activities in a training scenario. Simulation enhances realism by exposing the trainees to representations of hazards without putting them at risk. Registration generates data that describe…

Purpose: The objective of this article is to provide an analysis of articles in "Education Administration Quarterly (EAQ)" over the 25-year period 1979-2003. Approach: The approach is document analysis. Findings: Information is presented on four key themes: (a) types of articles published; (b) methodologies employed; (c) topic areas emphasized;…

This document presents a model of educational outcomes for learners in grade 4 and the indicators of these outcomes for all students. This includes students identified as having disabilities or developmental delays. The document begins with a presentation of the conceptual model, with Educational Resources (Inputs and Contexts) influencing…