This paper sketches seven activities that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) should pay attention to over the next few years as it attempts to provide accurate and complete data on the elementary and secondary education system of the United States. The activities are: (1) act aggressively to meet the major problems of data…

This paper addresses specific and general issues regarding data needs and considerations that might improve and better facilitate the collection, use, and interpretation of educational data at the elementary and secondary levels. Specific issues discussed are: (1) preschooling and early education, with emphasis on the nature of preschool…

This volume is part of a series of monographs from Australia devoted to outlining an alternative approach, based on neo-Marxist concepts, to educational administration. The opening discussion is a critique of conventional student evaluation practices aimed at tracing the social influences that are brought to bear on students, teachers, schools,…

To assist in the process of improving writing instruction, a study assessed the status of writing in the District of Columbia Public Schools. The study consisted of four components: a teacher survey; a student survey; principal interviews; and a curriculum assessment. The teacher survey was administered to 897 teachers in 34 schools and the…

The adoption by Seattle (Washington) Public Schools of the Prescriptive Reading Inventory Reading System (PRI-RS) was a decision driven by the district's commitment to effective schooling. The PRI-RS is a criterion referenced approach to the instruction and assessment of reading skills, and it consists of five levels, A through E, coordinated with…

Evaluation policy and how it is determined in a major school district are examined, using a qualitative case study approach. Focus is on stimulating dialogue on these issues toward the development of a theory of the way evaluation and policy interact in a large school district. The experience of the Portland Public Schools (PPS) in Oregon in…

A model for a comprehensive, multi-purpose, multi-user evaluation system is presented to facilitate educational decision making and to support school improvement and renewal. The model is school district-based but oriented to meet state-, school-, and classroom-level needs as well. The model emphasizes the usefulness of common or compatible…

Institutions of higher education in the United States appear to many to have the capacity to provide enough scientists and engineers to meet the nation's needs. However, many researchers, employers and policymakers are concerned that the future supply will be inadequate. In the early 1990s the United States will experience a decline in the number…

A scoring rubric transition study is described. It was designed to evaluate possible drift in scoring the Maryland Writing Test from year to year (when using a modified holistic scoring method), to evaluate strategies for revising swing rubrics from narrative and explanatory writing while maintaining original scoring standards, and to establish…

This report covers the activities of 1985 high school graduates of the Los Angeles Unified School District one year after graduating. The questionnaires, administered via the mail, surveyed graduates concerning their educational pursuits, employment endeavors, and opinions regarding their educational experience. Approximately 33% of the 9,299…

In 1985-86, the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Public Schools, through Chapter 1 funding, entered the final year of a 3-year pilot of Early Learning Programs (ELPs) at four sites in the district: (1) Lavaland; (2) Longfellow; (3) Tomasita; and (4) Alamosa. Four- and five-year-old children (N=272) participated in the pilot program. Seventy-five percent…

Information on the achievement of students in Southern States is presented, based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). State profiles are presented for 12 Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states, plus Maryland and Texas. A 1984-1985 SREB pilot project with the National Assessment of Educational Progress is also…

By means of a literature search and data from the California Coalition for Sex Equity in Education (CCSEE) questionnaire (the Title IX Implementation Assessment Instrument), this report presents the findings a 2-year (1978-80) study of sex bias and Title IX compliance in California at 23 experimental and 13 control school districts. The report…

The key to economic renewal in the United States is a national human resources development strategy in which community colleges assume the national training role. This national strategy must recognize changes in the American economy and workforce, such as a more educated labor force, the demographics of developing countries, the increased…

This is the sixth in a series of six monographs developed to help local educators use and report Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test results. Because the media help shape public opinion, educators need to carefully plan a comprehensive reporting campaign which quickly and accurately gets information on MEAP test results to media…