This report describes the psychometric characteristics and related methodology of the 9-month data collection of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences, in collaboration with several…

This book helps you make sense of the data your school collects, including state student achievement results as well as other qualitative and quantitative data. Easy-to-use templates, tools, and examples are available on the accompanying CD-ROM. High stakes accountability requires that you develop your understanding of who your students are and…

Senator Edward Kennedy, from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, submitted this report in accompaniment to United States Senate Bill 2969 (S. 2969), which was introduced by Senator Kennedy and Senator Gregg on September 19, 2002. S. 2969 provides for an office within the Department of Education to conduct high quality research…

Lehigh University's Clipper Project collected data on the short- and long-term effects of offering five Web-based, college-level introductory courses to early-decision, non-matriculated high school seniors for 1) the students who participated; 2) the faculty who developed the courses and taught them online; and 3) the institution that offered…

Academic institutions are becoming increasingly interested in the collection and presentation of data to support strategic planning, accreditation, and accountability needs. With an increased emphasis on campus-wide involvement and centralized data collection at some institutions, the integrity, accessibility, and interpretation of data become key…

The 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act mandates that schools receiving federal funding must desegregate their student performance data by race, gender, and socioeconomic status in order to provide progress information to the community and state. Data-driven decision making is particularly important in urban schools…

In recent years, the debate about the utilization of research studies that have been used to inform educational practice has been steadily growing. This debate is primarily the result of frustration; despite the investment of billions of dollars, learner outcomes have not significantly improved. One possible explanation is that most education…

As demand for after-school services has grown, the public has responded with support for growth in federal, state, and local funding for these services. As in other successful grassroots movements, this high level of support is evident across groups with diverse objectives. Some after-school advocates are mainly interested in increasing the supply…

The 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04), conducted for the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), collected comprehensive data regarding how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. The primary objective of NPSAS:04 is to produce reliable national estimates of…

This manual provides guidance and documentation for users of the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF-93) restricted-use data files and of the public-use institution data file. The NSOPF-93 was the successor to a 1988 study of postsecondary faculty. Information about the purpose of the study, the data collection instruments, the…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called the "Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative, continuing assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subject areas. NAEP provides a comprehensive measure of students' learning at critical junctures in their school experience. The…

This paper describes current efforts to collect data on classroom instructional processes and to recommend ways to advance those efforts. The paper begins with a review of current survey methods for gathering such data; it continues with an evaluation of their appropriateness for use in the Teacher Followup Survey (TFS) (Schools and Staffing…

This report describes a 1997 survey which examined performance funding in higher education and offers guidelines for states' and institutions' explorations of performance-based funding. Among highlights of the survey are: 32 states are planning or using performance measures in the state budget process; legislatively mandated initiatives are…

This guide for researchers introduces important research methodologies and data collecting techniques, provides a framework for the critical assessment of existing research, and encourages involvement of academics and practitioners in research. Chapter 1, on planning a research project, discusses scheduling, time management, and planning the…

This comprehensive guide to alternative, authentic assessment in early childhood education provides discussions of the most current research and practical ways to integrate assessments into teaching. It shows assessment as a process that teachers can use in their own classrooms, using the latest procedures, such as portfolios, standards,…