The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (Simpson-Rodino Act) has many negative consequences for the city of New York (New York). Major provisions that will affect the city include the following: (1) sanctions on employers of illegal aliens; (2) an amnesty program for illegal aliens; (3) a 5-year limitation on newly amnestied aliens'…

This paper examines the changing demographics of American society and the impact of these changes on higher education. Discussions include a historical background of early American demography, the building and expansion of the population base, and census changes through various generations of the baby boom years and beyond. Next, the report…

American migrant and seasonal agricultural workers are a population needing categorical assistance due to low income, difficult working and living conditions, and a mobile lifestyle. The purpose of this study was to identify, describe, and analyze federally funded migrant services. This study, based on interviews with program officials and…

An environmental scanning system was developed by the admissions office of a graduate school of management in a small southeastern university. The school's strategic planning committee felt that it would be beneficial to acquire information concerning issues, trends, and possible events that might impact upon the school in the future and to…

Efforts of the Department of Education (ED) to simplify the Pell Grant formula by reducing the number of data elements used to calculate awards (i.e., data element reduction) are evaluated. A framework is developed to assess the critical characteristics of individual data elements, to eliminate elements from the formula, and to develop proposals…

The concepts of need and needs assessment are examined in the context of information needs for college administrators. A description is included of the conceptual framework underlying the Needs Assessment Information System (NAIS), which was developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Attention is directed to: (1)…

This paper argues that no single measurement strategy serves all purposes and that applying methods and techniques which allow a variety of data elements to be retrieved and juxtaposed may be an investment in the future. Item response theory, Rasch model, and latent trait theory are all approaches to a single conceptual topic. An abbreviated look…

To better understand ways to improve education, large longitudinal data sets are required, such as the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 which follows students through their schooling and into the labor market. In addition, data comparing the performance of state and local school systems is essential for educational accountability. The…

Educational data collection may be fraught with problems because of individuals' resentment and resistance to providing data. State and local education agencies often report that data requests from federal agencies represent an administrative burden, especially when they are not an expected part of the personnel workload. Educators may not know…

The paper suggests priorities for the federal government's elementary and secondary education data collection efforts. Sections on outputs, inputs, and private schools describe what data is needed, what is already available, and what is recommended for data collection. Recommendations include a high priority for federal funding for the National…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) could provide better information for policy makers by (1) analyzing likely uses of the information it collects and disseminates; (2) launching more detailed investigations of educational inputs and processes; (3) taking some steps to place findings on educational outcomes in context; and (4)…

New types of data must be collected to reflect changes in the educational delivery system as training is provided by nontraditional or non-institutional services. Educational data should be derived not only from schools, but also from private industry, the military, volunteer organizations, and other agencies which provide training. Data should be…

This report is intended to provide a statistical basis for discussion of the experiences of immigrant children in New York City (New York) public schools. Most of the information is taken from an analysis of the 1980 U.S. Census. Since 1980, school immigrant enrollments have followed a general shift away from European groups to those from the…

This manual outlines and explains procedures for conducting a study of the exact content and requirements of jobs in order to develop an information base for students to use in evaluating their suitability for given jobs. Addressed in the first half of the guide are the following topics: the meaning of the term job study, the image of a job,…

This is a report on the work of two linked research projects into teaching about race relations that were mounted at the Centre for Applied Research in Education (CARE) of the University of East Anglia, England, between 1972 and 1975. The projects sought to throw light on the problems and effects of teaching adolescents about race relations by…