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An interview with Jill Montaquila, associate director of Westat Inc.'s Statistical Staff and senior statistician, is presented. Montaquila shares the influences that made her decide to choose Survey Research field as her career path. She recalls when she realized that she wanted to be a statistician. She explains whether there is any research that suggests there is a stereotype that exists in the fields of Mathematics and Science.

Highlights key findings on family and medical leave policies and practices from two surveys of employees and establishments conducted by Westat for the United States Department of Labor in 2000. Provision of family and medical leave benefits; Impact of the Family and Medical Leave Act on covered establishments; Extent of awareness of the law; Employees' use and satisfaction of family and medical leave.

The article emphasizes the need for better reporting of child abuse and neglect in the U.S. Since the early 1960s, all states have passed laws that require designated professionals to report specified types of child maltreatment. Under threat of civil and criminal penalties, these laws require most professionals who serve children to report suspected child abuse and neglect. These reporting laws, associated public awareness campaigns, and professional education programs have been strikingly successful. In 1980 and 1986, Westat Inc. conducted national studies of the incidence of child abuse and neglect. Westat found that professionals failed to report many of the children they saw who had observable signs of child abuse and neglect. Obtaining and maintaining a high level of reporting requires a continuation of the public education and professional training begun thirty years ago. But, now, such efforts must also address a problem as serious as nonreporting: inappropriate reporting. Nationwide, between 60 and 65 percent of all reports are closed after an initial investigation determines that they are unfounded or unsubstantiated. The current flood of unfounded reports is overwhelming the limited resources of child protective agencies. Forced to allocate a substantial portion of their limited resources to unfounded reports, child protective agencies are less able to respond promptly and effectively when children are in serious danger. Some reports are left uninvestigated for a week and even two weeks after they are received. These nationwide conditions help explain why from 25 to 50 percent of child abuse deaths involve children previously known to the authorities.

The article identifies an important new tracing resource available from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA). Westat, Inc., has purchased copies of the annual SSA Death Master File for many years as a cost-effective method for conducting mortality follow-up of subjects under study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute. Thus, it has been some time since the vital statistics information directly from the SSA was last sought. Historically, the SSA has given only date of death and state of claim, or state of residence at the time of death, for decedents.

Editorial. Comments on the analysis given by research and consulting firm, Westat Incorporated, on the performance of the Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement program implemented by the National Science Foundation in 1985. Details on its performance between 1985 to 1994; Identification of areas that should be improved; Provision of catalytic support for science education by the program.