The authors point out that offices of institutional research are valuable resources for collecting data to help faculty improve their teaching, and can involve the whole institution in a collaborative effort towards improved student learning. Defining institutional research as a capacity to work closely with faculty to explore questions about what…

This paper explores the role of organising data in representing numerical data in an organised way--a skill which does not come naturally to most students. Grade 6 children were given a series of lessons on organising data and then representing the data graphically. It was found that after instruction, more students were able to reorganise the…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) designed to address a wide range of education-related issues. It is a telephone survey of the noninstitutionalized civilian population. In 1993, the NHES was designed to cover two topical components: School Readiness…

A study was conducted to determine the best method for obtaining information on teachers' backgrounds for the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). Two alternative methodologies were compared: the collection of teachers' self-reports of their academic qualifications and the use of their college transcripts. While transcripts are assumed to provide…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection effort of the National Center for Education Statistics that collects and publishes data on the condition of education in the United States. The NHES is designed to provide information on issues that are best addressed by contacting households rather than institutions. It is a…

In November 1995 staff from the National Center for Education Statistics sent a questionnaire about customer service to each of the Common Core of Data (CCD) coordinators who are responsible for the data reported annually on the CCD surveys. These surveys include the National Public Education Finance Survey (NPEFS) and four largely nonfiscal…

This paper synthesizes a 1-day workshop held in Israel in May 1997 on behalf of the National Council for the Child with the support of the Bernard van Leer Foundation and attended by representatives of projects and organizations involved in promoting early childhood development. The goal of the workshop was to help participants design and carry…

This document reports on a study of New Zealand's Special Education 2000 (SE2000) policy with emphasis on issues of particular importance to the Maori minority group. Methodology included interviews with key national organizations including Maori organizations and key informants in the field. An executive summary summarizes findings concerning…

In response to Committee requests from the U.S. House of Representatives, the Government Accounting Office examined the extent to which children in Medicaid are receiving Early and Periodic Screening Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) services. State efforts to improve service delivery and federal government efforts to ensure that state Medicaid…

This brief focuses on the role of fathers in contributing to children's well-being. The brief notes that collecting better data on fathers is vital to federal and state efforts to reform the welfare and child support systems and that understanding fathers' roles in their children's lives could help parents and social service providers better…

With accurate information, educators are better able to make effective decisions. Besides being used to assess student performance, a complete program of data collection and use can also show educators how management skills, individual learning styles, and other elements affect student achievement. This digest in Spanish provides an overview of…

This guide provides an outline of the components necessary in a written evaluation plan for vocational education programs. The four components that a plan for evaluation should include are described. The first component, the specific goals of the evaluation process, is divided into these two sections determined by the type of evaluation conducted:…

This topical review addresses performance goals and indicators for special education, including how to create valid and measurable indicators of key features of special education that can be used to gauge effectiveness as well as target improvement strategies. A section identifying highlights of the review notes that an indicator system consists…

This issue of "Network News" takes a look at emerging P-16/K-16 partnerships and data systems. The first article, "P-16 Data and Accountability Systems," by Hans L'Orange and Rick Voorhees (an adaptation of a policy brief) looks at data being used for accountability within P-16 systems and provides some general characteristics…

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) offers its own school district data in four areas: enrollment growth; seat capacity; school construction costs; and land acquisition. Also included are data on new school construction, property condemnations, and modernization projects over the past two decades. Appendices provide data on LAUSD…