This monograph, part of a series on student assessment, reports on the results of a national survey that examined institutional support for undergraduate student assessment. It provides a national profile of student assessment initiatives at baccalaureate institutions and compares it to assessment practices and support patterns found in all types…

A study of basic Title VII programs examines salient program features, including grade levels served, enrollment characteristics, staff experience, and technological features of bilingual programs. A typical Title VII (Spanish-English) bilingual program is summarized. Data reveal that English is used more often than Spanish in most bilingual…

Describes a long-term, Arizona field project that allows students to collect and analyze regional economic data and to apply theoretical techniques and applications. Discusses the history and evolution of the project that generally involves a series of economic base surveys and reports on small rural communities. (MJP)

Freshman satisfaction survey, enrollment, and academic achievement data were used by one college to develop a database providing a comprehensive set of outcome indicators and a model for the freshman experience, including institution-specific models of freshman satisfaction and retention. A longitudinal database is under construction. (Author/MSE)

Provides a concise overview of the role of the federal government in educational statistics and research. Although the scale and methodologies of these projects have increased in size and complexity, federal educational statistical research has never become a significant force in educational reform. (MJP)

Analyzes interview data collected from English-as-a-Second-Language students regarding their writing experience in English for academic purposes (EAP) and other courses. Characterizes students' reactions to three types of writing contexts and argues that EAP courses requiring students to write from general knowledge or personal experience limit…

Describes an activity that introduces students to the use of database software to collect and interpret data. Asks middle school students to collect personal information regarding their dominant hand, eye, and thumb. Students use FIND and AND commands to create tables and respond to questions related to the data. (MDH)

Examines changes in children's health insurance status and utilization of health services in the past decade, using 1977 National Medical Care Expenditure Survey data and 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey data. Policies that could reduce the number of uninsured children (mandated employment-related coverage and incremental Medicaid…

Outlines a unit of study in which students undertake a scavenger hunt for data about the civil liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Lists 36 activities (e.g., obtain a copy of a search warrant) and assigns points for the completion of each. Explains that student groups attempt to earn a 200-point total by completing activities. (CH)

Presents an experiment that measures the acceleration and velocity of a model rocket. Lift-off information is transmitted to a computer that creates a graph of the velocity. Discusses the analysis of the computer-generated data and differences between calculated and experimental velocity and acceleration of several rocket types. (MDH)

Discusses methodological issues in cross-cultural studies of diverse communities, including language problems, data collection and analysis, sample size, and dissemination of findings. A study of the information-seeking behavior of ethnolinguistic gatekeepers in several communities in California is described. Suggestions are given for public…

Examines the interrelationships among accentedness, perceived comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second-language (L2) learners. The findings suggest that although strength of foreign accent is correlated with perceived comprehensibility and intelligibility, a strong foreign accent does not necessarily reduce the…

An analysis of the role and functions of the United Kingdom's newly-implemented Higher Education Statistics Agency looks at key features of the data collection and storage system, including its comprehensiveness, new record structure, capability for tracking individuals, data categories and coding, quality of data, and data accessibility. Despite…

There are increasing numbers of traditional biologists, untrained in educational research methods, who want to develop and assess new classroom innovations. In this article we argue the necessity of formal research over normal classroom feedback. We also argue that traditionally trained biologists can make significant contributions to biology…

Many school reform initiatives now require school leaders to make curriculum and resourcing decisions on the basis of evidence about their likely impact on student achievement. In this paper, we discuss the implications of this policy demand in the context of a descriptive study of schools' capacity to collect, analyze, and use collective…