A five-question Web-based summer school survey was designed to measure student motivation for taking summer classes. Web technology has several advantages, such as no printing, electronic notification, high student access potential, and automatic collection of data in digital form. Notification was sent to all enrolled students (N=19,837) based on…

This practical guidebook aims to show preschool, kindergarten, and primary teachers how to refine their literacy evaluation practices through careful "kidwatching." By observing and recording children's literacy development, teachers also develop new understandings of the ways children think and learn. Ultimately, through kidwatching,…

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the full-scale data collection effort of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Second Follow-up Student 1996-2001 (BPS:1996/2001). These students, who started their postsecondary education in the 1995-1996 academic year, were first interviewed during 1996, and subsequently interviewed in…

This paper summarizes some of the basic concepts in test equating. Various types of equating methods, as well as data collection designs, are outlined, with attempts to provide insight into preferred methods and techniques. Test equating describes a group of methods that enable test constructors and users to compare scores from two different forms…

This proceedings reports on a forum which explored housing statistics for people with disabilities. An introduction identifies three broad areas of recommendations for consideration that arose from the forum: (1) a definition (and taxonomy) of housing that meets current and future profiles of where people actually live should be developed: (2)…

This handbook is designed to help beginning evaluators of teacher recruitment programs. It addresses the information and assessment needs of teacher recruitment programs. It takes a hands-on approach and includes worksheets and instructions for using them. After presenting tips for getting started, the handbook offers eight steps to successful…

This training guides is designed to teach educators how to use data for school improvement. There is an emphasis on student achievement data, because achievement is the "bottom line" in assessing schools and school systems, but other types of data necessary to measure school quality are also considered. The chapters are: (1)…

Estimates of first-time drug use, referred to as incidence or initiation, provide an important measure of the Nation's drug use problem. They suggest emerging patterns of use and identify periods of heightened risk for an immediate focus on the prevention of substance use, particularly among children and youths. This report contains an analysis of…

This report focuses on students who are underrepresented in the high academic achievement pool by calling attention to the important role that relational data management systems can play in educational decision making, particularly with regard to how they can be applied to closing the academic achievement gap. After explaining the need for data…

State education agencies are increasingly building the capacity to collect and manage sizable quantities of information about schools and districts and to match individual student records over time and across databases. An adequate statewide student data-collection system makes it easier for a state to meet legal reporting requirements such as…

In March 2002 the Higher Education Funding Council for England issued a report that set out categories of information that should be available within the higher education institution and that should be published as part of the revised quality assurance framework for higher education in England. This document provides final guidance on the…

Early efforts to reform middle-level education were characterized by the adoption of a set of programs, often those espoused by national advocacy groups. Too often such efforts were driven by changes in student population and adopted without broad participation by teachers, parents, and other community members. This paper relates the story of a…

This paper describes the experiences of researchers conducting research using an online course for the professional development of middle school mathematics and science teachers. The paper also offers recommendations to developers of course management systems (CMS). The online course focused on strategies that promoted gender equitable pedagogy…

This handbook establishes current and consistent terms, definitions, and classification codes to maintain, collect, report, and exchange comparable information about students. The handbook is useful to public and private agencies and educational institutions, researchers, policy makers, and members of the public interested in student data. The…

This paper serves as an example of how one may approach the use of a large database for comparative education purposes. Considerations include determining three aspects about the databases, and one case study. The three aspects include the type of database that is used, the method in which the data were collected and errors, and the structure of…