Background: Despite considerable investment in UK government initiatives (e.g., the Physical Education School Sport [PESS] plan) aimed at improving the delivery and quality of physical education (PE) in primary schools, many remaining problems have been highlighted (e.g., facilities; staff training). It is suggested that the head teacher (school…

Interim national standard procedures for deriving per-student costs in postsecondary educational institutions are discussed in this staff paper. The interim procedures are intended to develop a national data base on the average annual cost per-student by level of instruction and field of study. The proposed procedures classify students by…

This document provides the description, summary, and evaluation of methodological procedures and results for the field test of the 1995-96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:96). Chapter 1 describes the background, purposes, and scheduled procedures of the NPSAS:96 and the unique purposes of the field test. The NPSAS is a…

This paper addresses the potential of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to measure education reforms in the United States through Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). How the SASS can measure reform, the type of reform it should assess, and the elements of school reform that would best serve the needs of state and federal…

Despite the widespread attention given to education reform, no substantial knowledge base has existed for identifying and implementing effective reforms for at-risk student populations. This document, the third of three volumes, describes the research design for a study that identified the essential mechanics of effective reforms for students at…

This document presents a summary of the field test results from the first follow-up of the 1992 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:90/92). The BPS:90/92 represents a departure from previous longitudinal studies of high school students in that it starts with a cohort of individuals beginning their postsecondary education…

Guidance is provided for state Chapter 2 coordinators and evaluators in designing and implementing the congressionally mandated evaluation of the effectiveness of the Chapter 2 program. The first part of this paper reviews the congressional mandate and discusses the appropriate audience for evaluation reports. A schedule is outlined for conducting…

This paper presents a list of key items in the field of elementary and secondary education, statistics for which are frequently requested. Each item is followed by the date of the latest published or available National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) statistics. With the exception of Census data, all of these data should be collected by the…

To establish a comprehensive national database on postsecondary student financial aid, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). Objectives were to: (1) determine the costs of postsecondary education for aided and non-aided students; (2) evaluate how students finance their…

Outcome measures are one of three key dimensions of the performance of Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system. The government, employers, students, and the broader community all share an interest in ensuring that Australia's VET system produces skills needed in the labor market. However, each group's views of what constitutes a…

In September 1998, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) established a 1-year task force to review the NCES's role concerning lifelong learning. The eight-member task force established a working definition of lifelong learning ("a process or system through which individuals are able and willing to learn at all stages of life,…

This document contains the eight appendixes from the National Center for Education Statistics's (NCES's) final report on lifelong learning in the United States. Appendix A discusses the considerations that entered into the formulation of the definition of lifelong learning adopted for the NCES study. Appendix B, "Literature Review on Lifelong…