The American Family Health Study (AFHS) collected family health and fertility data from a national probability sample of persons aged 18-49 between September 2021 and May 2022, using web and mail exclusively. In July 2022, we surveyed AFHS respondents and gauged their willingness to become part of a national web panel that would create novel…

There are many situations where random assignment of participants to treatment and comparison conditions may be unethical or impractical. This article provides an overview of propensity score techniques that can be used for estimating treatment effects in nonrandomized quasi-experimental studies. After reviewing the logic of propensity score…

This article investigates three types of stage-sequential growth mixture models in the structural equation modeling framework for the analysis of multiple-phase longitudinal data. These models can be important tools for situations in which a single-phase growth mixture model produces distorted results and can allow researchers to better understand…

This case study of the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland demonstrates the need to consider course sequencing in the communication curriculum. The investigation assessed whether the order in which undergraduates took courses predicted grade performance. Students' (N = 6,166) grade data from earlier courses were used to…

Since problems associated with the statistical methodology of educational research are becoming increasingly important, this paper examines a subset of problems associated with the analysis and interpretation of aggregated data. Two major questions arise: (1) if a researcher knows the level (e.g., individual, teacher/classroom, school, school…

This report briefly describes and analyzes several of the most frequently used techniques for depicting trends and making projections of education statistics. Each technique is described simply and nontechnically, with its uses and shortcomings, and a step-by-step analytical and graphic example and explanation. Projection techniques described…

The present paper describes an attempt to establish a paper and pencil test battery for improving predictive efficiency in the selection of supporting services personnel at Montgomery County Public Schools and a report on the validation of such a procedure. (Author)

THE TOPICS OF EIGHT CONFERENCE PAPERS INCLUDE (1) THE PROBLEM OF DIFFERENTIATING EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION FROM EFFECTS OF OTHER INFLUENCES (GROWTH, ENVIRONMENT, AND SELF-INSTRUCTION), (2) CRITERIA FOR MEASURING CHANGE IN PROFICIENCY, AND (3) WAYS OF RELATING SUCH CHANGE TO OUTSIDE VARIABLES SUCH AS MEASURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNERS AND…

Methods of defining and projecting a concept of consumer unit appropriate for analyses of changes in the tax-transfer system are presented. The population of persons covered by the March supplements to the Current Population Surveys is organized into simulated tax and transfer system (STATS) units and results are shown for several years. The…

The working paper concentrates on the general objective, "How do the agency (Federal) and its policy makers utilize the information conveyed by scientific manpower forecasts?" Section 1 examines reasons for the growth in demand for these forecasts: (1) benefit cost analysis of public projects with long payout periods must rely on forecasts; (2)…

This study concerns the development of a measure of educational need and its use in a State school support formula in New York. The study assumes that public schools should operate positively to further equality of opportunity and that schools are able to affect achievement levels and rates of learning. The present State-aid formula is not…

The abilities of the Henmon-Nelson, Cardall-Miles, Slosson and Quick Tests to predict WAIS-FS scores in a psychiatric hospital were compared. (Author)

The validity of predicting female homosexuality from empirical signs from the Draw-A-Person (DAP) was compared to the validity of psychologists'"blind" predictions from the same DAP protocols. (Author)

Focusing on student retention and time to degree completion, this study illustrates how institutional researchers may benefit from the power of predictive analyses associated with data-mining tools. The following are appended: (1) Predictors; and (2) Variable Definitions. (Contains 5 figures.)