Teachers concerned about excessive testing may be depriving themselves of useful information provided by standardized achievement tests and their own exams. Teachers tend to separate testing from teaching. This article explores the relationship among data collection, curriculum planning, and instruction and gauges the impacts of mandated…

This article summarizes the accomplishments of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in implementing several of the Levitan Commission's recommendations to improve labor data and in conducting activities preparatory to the adoption of others. Examines changes in the Current Population Survey program, Current Employment Statistics surveys, and use of the…

Examines problem areas of training needs analysis (TNA), first by presenting a model of the TNA process, then by listing sources of data available for TNA (based on an analysis of the literature), and finally by proposing a method of choosing appropriate data-gathering techniques for TNA. (CT)

Describes the formation of the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES), a system formed to foster the sharing of computerized data on language acquisition. Details the governance of the system, the nature of the database, the shape of the coding conventions, and the types of computer programs being developed. (SED)

Describes database and index design and data collection methods for compilation of the National Tune Index, a comprehensive, multifaceted tool for research in and analysis of eighteenth century American and British secular music, restoration of early American theater works, and identification of specific tune or text fragments. (MBR)

Understanding the fundamentals of data acquisition and control is an important part of learning about the use of small computers in chemistry. Data acquisition and control principles can be taught at moderate equipment cost using micrcomputer game ports. Therefore, the components of the Apple II microcomputer game port are described. (JN)

Discusses the new information possibilities available to educational administrators, pointing out that the most useful role of computers is to provide meaningful data to improve decision making. Outlines a three-phase approach to computerizing school districts. (MD)

Reviews the Council of Chief State School Officers' effort to establish a nationwide system of educational indicators. Suggests the benefits of such a system. (MCG)

The detrimental effects of nonresponse bias are particularly significant given the widespread use of the survey data collection method in educational surveys. Current methods for remediating nonresponse bias in educational surveys are explored and critiqued. (Author/LMO)

Results of a Bureau of Labor Statistics study suggest that the direct contribution of research and development to postwar productivity growth was between 0.1 and 0.2 percent annually in the nonfarm business sector; research and development had no substantial effect on the post-1973 productivity slowdown. (Author)

Computers have a great number of potential uses at the small college. A survey of the role of software in the effective use of computers is described. Hardware characteristics, spreadsheets, purchasing or developing software, and software information are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Lists and describes representative software for Macintosh microcomputers. Included are Apple University Consortium software, word processing software, statistics packages, integrated packages, database management systems, and others. Source of software and costs (when available) are included. (JN)

The concept of evaluation readiness complements other evaluation planning approaches. Its basic products are the formal program definition and the data inventory framework. Ways to improve timeliness, appropriateness, and use of evaluation are also discussed. (Author/GDC)

Discusses available Bureau of Labor Statistics data about part-time workers, describing what information is published, and suggests a new combination of the data--all persons who usually work part time--which would provide a more accurate estimate of part-time employment. (CT)

Recent technological advances have put alumni-development computer systems within reach of most colleges and universities. Options, including the types of hardware available, the many ways to match an office's needs to your hardware, and the types of software available are discussed. (MLW)