This handbook was designed to help school leaders develop a system of collaborative assessment, strategic planning, and accountability in schools and districts. It offers practical guidelines to help solve three problems central to school leadership: (1) determining a vision; (2) identifying areas requiring change; and (3) demonstrating…

This report presents results of a project to produce a set of strategies to ensure the compatibility of Australian state and territory information systems with the requirements of the National Management Information and Statistics System (NATMISS) and the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard…

The term "research paper," in the sense of researched paper, is a tautology: all expository discourses are researched in some way. One of the first duties of writing instructors is to help students see the difference between reporting on information that already exists about a topic, in what is sometimes referred to as a "library…

In 1965, as the University of Akron (Ohio) was approaching its centennial, it was decided to create two archival programs. One was the University Archives, which preserves records and other items dealing with the history and development of the institution. A different approach, but one that was closely intertwined with the University Archives, was…

The school year 1991-92 was the first in which states reported school district level data on the numbers and types of dropouts in the Common Core of Data (CCD) Agency Universe Survey. Information included numbers of male and female dropouts in 5 racial/ethnic categories for grades 7 through 12. The CCD defined a dropout as a student who had been…

The U.S. Department of Education and various education commentators maintain that dropout rates have been decreasing for African-Americans and the school population as a whole. This paper presents evidence that dropout rates may be going up rather than down and identifies reasons for the conflicting data. The reasons include varied definitions of…

Many historical and traditional symbols are recorded in cemeteries. The symbols and motifs on tombstones profile individual lives, but they also convey information regarding a society's order, values, religious practices, and realities at the time of the individual's death. The primary goals of this research effort were to identify a variety of…

This guide presents an introduction to the basics about data collection and discusses the uses of data in daily work. The emphasis is on youth programs in Indiana, but the information is useful for programs in other states. Ways in which program planners and advocacy activists can use data are described, and local, state, and national resources…

VTLOGANL is a project to enhance and develop new methods and computer software to aid the social science researcher using video tape. This paper describes the latest release of the VTLOGANL program and provides a brief description of its capabilities. VTLOGANL is a BASIC program designed for an MS-DOS computer system. It uses Indexed Sequential…

This study investigated the extent to which data collected on play behavior differ when two different data collection methods, observation alone and observation plus interview, were used. A secondary objective was to compare data collected using both methods in an indoor and outdoor play environment. The social and cognitive play behavior for a…

Although the field of statistics is receiving increasing recognition in the media and everyday life, concern continues about the quality of statistical education and statistical analysis and the application of statistical methods. This paper focuses on three areas of concern: (1) the quality of data, especially missing data; (2) the interpretation…

This handbook is an effort to establish current and consistent terms, definitions, and classification codes to maintain, collect, report, and exchange comparable information about staff. This effort was coordinated by the Council of Chief State School Officers under contract to the National Center for Education Statistics. It represents the best…

In March 1993, the National Goals Panel Technical Planning Subgroup on Core Data Elements was convened to focus on the issue of identifying information that could be obtained from local student data systems for use in monitoring local and state progress toward the National Education Goals. This panel's report identified recommended data elements,…

This report presents the December 1, 1995 special education data collected annually by the state of Maryland as part of the state's Special Services Information System. Information is compiled on special education students ages 3-21 in all 24 local education agencies and state operated programs. Definitions of key terms used to classify student…

This directory provides the title, names, and office telephone numbers of the following individuals involved in the collection and reporting of educational statistics: (1) chief state school officers; (2) state liaisons for the National Cooperative Education Statistics System; (3) Federal and associate members of the National Forum on Education…