The influence of survey return rate and sources of information other than the survey on the teaching employment rate (as calculated) in the year following completion of a teacher preparation program were studied. A second objective was to investigate the tendency to respond for these individuals. A total of 291 individuals formed the target…

This paper addresses issues surrounding attempts to describe instructional practices and learning opportunities. It draws from the data and experiences of researchers associated with the Reform Up Close (RUC) Study conducted by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) for the National Science Foundation. The paper focuses on the…

This paper was developed for the Illinois State Board of Education as part of a year long project to address the issue of personnel shortages in special education. Recommendations from a number of state committees and professional organizations were analyzed and additional input obtained from various professionals in regular and special education.…

The Hawkins-Stafford Education Improvement Amendments of 1988 established the National Cooperative Education Statistics System and directed the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics to support the development and implementation of standards for education data collection, processing, analysis, and reporting. The Cooperative…

Educational practitioners tend to resist or avoid doing educational research primarily for two reasons: their prior experience with statistics, computers, and research design has produced insecurity and anxiety; and, they have acquired a basic misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of research. Good research should be both technically sound…

To determine the extent to which states are able to assess their provision of services to typically underserved populations, this study interviewed 16 Part H (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) state coordinators. Major findings indicated: (1) six states identified their rural population as most underserved and six identified one or more…

This report provides background and linkages necessary to bring state-level experiences of reporting graduation rate statistics to bear in implementing the Student Right-to-Know Act particularly regarding the reporting of student persistence and graduation rates at institutions of higher education. Section I provides: (1) an overview of the extent…

Two landmark efforts to describe the condition of American Indian and Alaska Native education nationwide and to call for specific solutions took place in the early 1990s. These efforts were the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the White House Conference on Indian Education. This digest summarizes Task Force and Conference recommendations…

A study examined the types of outcomes that are currently measured in postsecondary vocational education and the uses to which data on institutional, program, and student outcomes are being put. Personnel from 54 of the 63 two-year institutions in 25 states that were originally contacted were interviewed. The respondents represented institutions…

This report presents the results of the second national survey of state activities in the assessment of educational outcomes for students with disabilities. The report does not contain actual outcomes data on students with disabilities. Survey results are based on responses from 47 state directors of special education and are presented in the…

This briefing report on program evaluation notes that the new wave of family-centered, integrated services is forcing the field to rethink its methodology, and that the move towards outcome-driven reforms requires carefully defined outcomes and ways to measure them. Highlights of a seminar meeting held to explore these issues are included. The…

The past two decades have witnessed increased concerns over the health and comfort of indoor air quality (IAQ), but little indoor air-related information has been targeted at building owners and facility managers of public and commercial buildings. This manual, specifically created for such a population, provides guidance on preventing,…

This book describes a structure for understanding and managing the process and options for gathering and analyzing data on needs. The three-phase model that forms the basis for the structure grew from both theory and practical experience in many settings. The focus is on assessing the needs of organizations rather than individuals. It is stressed…

The nine-volume Survey Kit is designed to help readers prepare and conduct surveys and become better users of survey results. All the books in the series contain instructional objectives, exercises and answers, examples of surveys in use, illustrations of survey questions, guidelines for action, checklists of "dos and don'ts," and…

This document presents papers prepared for a conference of higher education researchers, policy analysts, practitioners, and administrators. The conference centered around whether a new, broader conceptualization of access to postsecondary education is required, and what such an expanded definition of access would mean in terms of policy,…