This digest discusses the difficulty of assessing the speech and language of culturally and linguistically diverse students and recommends strategies for identifying communication disorders. It begins by reviewing what qualifies as a communication disorder, discussing the limitations of speech and language tests, and outlining test considerations.…

Using unique administrative data on Chicago public high school students and their teachers, we are able to estimate the importance of teachers on student mathematical achievement. We find that teachers are educationally and statistically important. To be sure, sampling variation and other measurement issues can strongly influence estimates of…

Targeted to mental retardation/developmental disability (MR/DD) and vocational rehabilitation agencies, developmental disabilities councils, consumer and advocate groups, and protection and advocacy programs, this manual is designed to assist in the development of state-level data systems responsive to current accountability requirements. It also…

Basic principles and methods of ethnographic research are outlined for students who may wish to undertake this form of qualitative research. Ethnographic research is defined as a form of study based on observation of human action, discourse, and self-perception, and is suggested as an appropriate form of research when experimental research is…

This report provides educational stakeholders with information about how to close the achievement gap in education. Researchers reviewed several analyses of test score data and various studies of the gap and its causes. Part 1 contains background information and discusses why this gap has become such a critical issue, reviews basic principles, and…

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the full-scale data collection effort of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study First Follow-Up 1996-98 (BPS:96/98). These students, who started their postsecondary education during the 1995-96 academic year, were first interviewed during 1996 as part of the National…

This research note describes data on college persistence, educational attainment, and remediation, and explains the difficulty in interpreting this data.

This research describes data on college persistence, educational attainment, and remediation, and explains the difficulty in interpreting this data.

This discussion of collaboration between general and special educators focuses on selection of instructional interventions in mainstream settings and curriculum-based methods of evaluating programs designed to increase the academic performance of students with and without disabilities. It then suggests ways to incorporate data-based decision…

Presents an activity on reading data from a table, estimation, computation, and 15 questions about the activities and their solutions. (ASK)

Highlights some of the fundamental differences between positivistic and qualitative research methods regarding art education. Defends qualitative research and argues that applying natural science research principles to human endeavors is often futile. Discusses the special problems and advantages of qualitative research. (MJP)

Describes a two-day forensic science course that is offered to eighth grade students enrolled in Science, Mathematics, and Technology Magnet Schools. Provides sample student activity sheets for the course. (Author/RT)

A new approach to the quantification and interpretation of change when only repeated cross-sectional data are available--the Trajectory Analysis of Matched Percentiles--is presented. A recent attempt to interpret the findings on reading achievement of the National Assessment of Educational Progress is critically analyzed. (SLD)

Asserts that educational policymakers must measure student achievement and school system performance accurately to help provide skills demanded by society. Contends that many international surveys either fail to provide adequate and precise answers to the intended research questions or provide inaccurate and faulty results. (CFR)

Researchers responsible for"Alcohol Abuse in Urban Indian Adolescents and Women: A Longitudinal Study for Assessment and Risk Evaluation" respond to critiques of the research project. Clarifies project goals, discusses issues related to longitudinal research, and addresses concerns related to research utilization and data publication.…