Methods used to follow, for 18 months after pregnancy resolution, 241 premaritally pregnant urban adolescents in a longitudinal drug use study are described. One respondent dropped out after the first interview. Temporary attrition at each data collection wave was between 1 percent and 3 percent. Sample recruitment and retention are discussed.…

Efforts to assess quality of academic life at Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) resulted in a plan to merge qualitative and quantitative measures and uncovered political, logistical, and fiscal issues in collection and use of the two kinds of data. Although qualitative databases are costly, they are also very useful in different ways. (Author/MSE)

The recent bloating of college administrations has worsened rather than improved administrative performance whereas it has raised costs. Faculty can discover the extent of the problem on their campuses, then activate professional associations and faculty budget committees to call for gradual roll-back in the ratio of administrative to…

Describes the Hawaii Department of Education's School Library Network Project and its approach to retrospective conversion for more than 200 school library media centers using a combination of 3 methods: in-house, full data entry; in-house, partial data entry; and full vendor contract. It is noted that a combination of these methods provides the…

Video cameras can be used to gather data, record the development of a project, document learning, aid in problem solving, or create a class archive. Short clips can be laced together with dialog or music without extensive editing. (SW)

There are many ways in which electronic technology can be used to support developmental efforts in teacher evaluation. One important way will be providing unobtrusive and easy-to-collect documentation and feedback in evaluation. Computer-mediated telecommunication also has great potential for the promotion of professional development. (SLD)

The relationship between drama in education and program evaluation is explored through the evaluation of an elementary school drama program. The compromise approach presents evaluation as a complex adaptation of an innovation or growth profile. The report contains enough hard data to be useful for policymakers but is rich in information…

Offers some strategies for enabling science teachers to make better use of data-logging methods. These ideas are grounded in the belief that science teachers are expert lesson planners. Benefits gained for students using data-logging techniques are more likely to be secured through teachers re-interpreting their planning approaches in the new…

Evaluates the Career Opportunity Program 2000, a six-year collaborative effort of Des Moines (Iowa) public schools, a community college, and a university to increase minority teachers in the area. Aspects of the development process are examined and a literature review and data-collection procedures discussion are provided. (MMU)

Argues that visual images can act as conceptual pegs for concepts or complicated procedures and help students perform better in the cognitive, affective, and manipulative domains of the laboratory. Conclusion was based on a study of chemistry laboratory students (N=83). (DDR)

Students receiving mathematics instruction relevant to life will understand that mathematics is part of the real world and not just another school subject. Presents an activity that integrates rational numbers with health-related science content as students collect data and engage in decision making. (ASK)

Stresses the need for outcome data on speech/language intervention in the schools and identifies obstacles and advantages to collecting outcome data in the school setting. Problems and solutions particular to the educational setting in the conduct of outcome studies are described. (DB)

Reanalyzes pretest and posttest interviews from a large classroom study using a situated cognition framework. Concludes that cognition is a dynamic process that changes in different ways over shorter and longer time scales. Contains 40 references. (DDR)

A survey of 37 system-of-care sites constituting 31 programs for children with serious mental health challenges found high family participation in such activities as modification of questionnaires, collecting data, and reviewing results. Low family participation was reported in the hiring of staff and data processing. Most families were…

This article highlights the necessary components of a functional behavioral assessment, a decision making framework concerning the selection of assessment and intervention procedures to be used at school, and a description of one practical functional behavioral assessment tool, the Initial Line of Inquiry, that has been employed by school-based…