Chapters in this report outline the potential plans for the redesign of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). It is argued that any successful redesign must consider the NAEP as a whole. This report reviews overall NAEP designs and discusses the implications that each of the designs has for various functional areas. The following…

This manual was developed for educators and natural resource managers who are establishing interpretive programs where biodiversity is the richest and most threatened. The manual contains five units which are based on the experiences of staff at the American Museum of Natural History and represent the key steps of designing an interpretation…

This document presents the process for obtaining certification for the position of early childhood centre administrator (ECCA) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Following an introduction describing the development of the process and its pilot testing, Chapter 1 of the document details the four-step process: (1) application, including training in the ECCA…

This guide was written to provide basic program evaluation principles and procedures to aid educators in planning and conducting evaluations of school programs. Examples help the reader gain competence and confidence in program evaluation. The guide is meant to serve as a reference as the program evaluator conducts the five tasks of program…

The Retention Issues Subcommittee of the Task Force on Enhancing Access for African American Males of the University System of Georgia (USG) was charged with the identification of barriers to the successful retention of African American males within the USG and finding successful programs aimed at addressing these problems. A number of barriers…

This Guide has been developed to provide a framework for decision makers, school facility managers, and the public to identify a basic set of school facilities data elements, including definitions that will meet their information needs. Chapter 1 describes the purpose, scope, and intended audience for this guide. Chapter 2 describes how to use the…

This paper summarizes an analysis in which disparate information tools and systems within the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), Wisconsin, were compared and contrasted from the viewpoint of whether or not those tools provide users with the unique functional requirements associated with using data in the context of decision making. MPS has a…

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of graphing technology for the teaching of mathematics. This interest has been, in part, sparked by the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards and "Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of Mathematics Education."…

The study involved implementing and evaluating activities that actively engage students in the process of gathering, processing and analyzing data derived from human body measurements, with students using their prior knowledge acquired in science, mathematics, and computer classes to interpret this information. In the classroom activities…

This guide to program evaluation presents questions that illuminate aspects of the evaluation process. Issues to consider in program evaluation are: (1) the intended results of the program; (2) hypotheses about the possible results of the program; (3) the types of data that will indicate achievement of the intended results and the variables that…

This publication presents information on how neighborhood residents can be involved in collecting needed information about their community which they can use to guide reform efforts. Researchers interviewed people with experience collecting information at the neighborhood level, other researchers, leaders of community based organizations, and…

Data collecting forms are provided for conducting a public school safety assessment screening inventory for the school's physical, social, and cultural environment. Data sheets assess traffic control, surveillance, access control, safety devices and equipment, and safety provisions and planning. Directions for using the assessment forms are…

The Wilderness Risk Managers Committee (WRMC), a consortium of outdoor schools and organizations, works toward better understanding and management of risks in the wilderness. Among other activities, the WRMC gathers data on incidents and accidents from member organizations and other wilderness-based programs. This book compiles incident data for…

Libraries and information agencies depend heavily on statistics to describe their services, evaluate their activities, and measure their performance. In the data gathering on which statistical analysis depends, there are always assumptions and uncontrolled variables that interfere with the purity and objectivity of the data, and therefore…

There is increasing concern among child care providers and states as to whether the methodology and data collection mechanisms of the various market rate surveys used by each state accurately capture the rates charged by child care providers. This paper examines issues related to market rate surveys as the customary method of determining…