At Michigan State University (MSU) we have developed and are testing a faculty survey instrument to gather institution-wide information on outreach activity. We have sought to define consistent quantitative measures that can be used both to describe the whole institution's investment of resources in engagement activities and to establish…

Many colleges continue to report high attrition rates among distance education students. This study included a survey of students at Coastline Community College to determine why they dropped or failed their distance-learning courses and to identify methods that might improve their success and retention. Questionnaires were sent to a group of…

This study compared essay scores from paper-based and computer-based versions of a writing test for prospective teachers. Scores for essays in the paper-based version averaged nearly half a standard deviation higher than those in the computer-based version, after applying a statistical control for demographic differences between the groups of…

In 1989, a study was conducted at Riverside Community College (RCC) using regression analyses to predict grades as well as student success (C grade or better) in political science and history courses. Initial independent (predictor) variables included placement test scores on each of the three ASSET tests of baskc sills (reading, language usage,…

COMPENSTAT, a menu-driven statistical program for IBM-compatible microcomputers, has two distinct versions: instructional and computational. The instructional version can be used by instructors as a classroom resource, and the computational version is used directly by students to calculate answers to problems. The software package is primarily…

Allegations by a resigning employee of intimidation, cover-up, unethical behavior, legal violations, waste, and mismanagement were investigated at a major university, relying on confidential interviews and a review of relevant documentation. The case study of this evaluation illustrates the advantages of a mix of qualitative and quantitative…

A comparison of the racial composition of parent, community, and teacher representatives elected in autumn 1989 to Local School Councils (LSCs) in Chicago to the racial/ethnic mix of the populations they represent indicates significant racial disparity on a city-wide basis. Statistical data were analyzed from 503 of a total of 540 schools (about…

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) of the National Center for Education Statistics collects data from all sections of postsecondary education. For less-than-two-year institutions, the IPEDS collects data on fall enrollment, completions (earned awards and certificates), etc., from all public institutions in that category and…

Effect sizes have been increasingly emphasized in research as more researchers have recognized that: (1) all parametric analyses (t-tests, analyses of variance, etc.) are correlational; (2) effect sizes have played an important role in meta-analytic work; and (3) statistical significance testing is limited in its capacity to inform scientific…

This report provides statistical data on the educational status of Hispanic Americans. Summaries are provided of educational status, attainment, and literacy at various points in the educational pipeline. Information about elementary and secondary school teachers is also included. Statistical data were drawn primarily from recent reports of the…

A discussion of the evaluation of bilingual education programs focuses on building a comprehensive framework for local efforts at evaluation. The discussion begins with an introduction to the legislative history of bilingual education programs and the evolution of their evaluation. This is followed by a review of the literature on current…

Any systematic approach to the assessment of students' ability implies the use of a model. The more explicit the model is, the more its users know about what they are doing and what the consequences are. The Rasch model is a strong model where measurement is a bonus of the model itself. It is based on four ideas: (1) separation of observable…

A comparison of the results of grades 4, 7, and 10 of the Dearborn Public Schools and the state attainment on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) by skill areas and objectives is described. The contents include (1) Dearborn versus state MEAP attainment results, (2) comparison of MEAP results with previous MEAP results of same groups…

This paper discusses the experiences and insight derived from the 1985-1986 Statewide Evaluation of the Early Education Program of Handicapped Children in Louisiana, the multimethod evaluation of preschool intervention projects for handicapped and at-risk children. The program served almost 5,000 handicapped preschoolers and their parents,…

A randomized experiment was performed in five high schools in which a random half of the students in a sophomore English class received a special 8-week library-oriented treatment designed to improve students' understanding of, attitudes toward, and use of the school library. The treatment was found to have a statistically significant effect on…