49,942 results
Search Results
52. Estimation of Apprentice and Trainee Statistics. Technical Paper
- Author
-
National Centre for Vocational Education Research and Harvey, Brian
- Abstract
Apprentice and trainee data are reported by the State and Territory Training Authorities to NCVER (National Centre for Vocational Education Research) on a quarterly basis, starting at the September quarter of 1994. The set of data submitted that quarter is referred to as Collection 1. The sets of data submitted in subsequent quarters are referred to as Collection 2, Collection 3 and so on. At the time of writing, the set of data being submitted is for the June 2009 quarter and is referred to as Collection 60. Of particular interest is the numbers of contracts of training that commence, complete, cancel/withdraw, re-commence, expire or suspend and the time at which these events occur (referred to as the "date of effect"). From these events, the number of contracts in training at a given time can be calculated. The purpose of this technical paper is to describe: (1) the way data accumulate over many collections; (2) how items derived from the data change as the data accumulates; (3) the endorsed estimation method (developed from the analysis of the above); (4) the formulae for calculating the required estimates; and (5) potential weaknesses in the method. Throughout the main text of this document data for New South Wales commencements and expired contracts are used as examples to illustrate the concepts being discussed. Supporting data is appended. A glossary is included. (Contains 4 tables and 8 figures.) [For the accompanying report, "Apprentices and Trainees: December Quarter, 2009", see ED510135.]
- Published
- 2010
53. Data 101: Guiding Principles for Faculty. A White Paper by the Academic Senate Executive Committee
- Author
-
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges
- Abstract
The use of data for making educational decisions and to assess educational outcomes has been legislated by political bodies and codified by accreditation. Faculty have always used data to inform the grading process--data is gathered throughout the term to inform the letter grade assigned at the end. However, in today's educational environment, faculty must also examine and use data to inform their practice and guide their work in order to improve student interactions, enhance pedagogical strategies, direct program development, and create evidence for program review. In addition, using evidence is essential as faculty address equity practices and advocate for educational opportunities that provide equitable access and outcomes for diverse student populations. Nevertheless, sometimes the word "data" sends people running in the opposite direction. Part of the reason for this negative reaction is the historical use (or misuse) of data as simple statistical ammunition for drawing inappropriate or misguided conclusions or even for more nefarious purposes. Occasionally data are used to assess a college's work or programs with a goal towards discontinuance rather than improvement. Another element of this reaction may be a general discomfort when conversing with those who gather, organize, and interpret the numerical data in purely statistical terms. To address issues reflected by this negative reaction, faculty must understand certain basic guidelines and concepts when dealing with data. Faculty need not become statisticians to skillfully find and use data, but they must learn to engage the data with a critical and analytical eye in order to interpret and apply it appropriately. This paper suggests several principles faculty should acknowledge when looking at educational data and assessing its usefulness. It also demonstrates the application of these principles to a hypothetical scenario and indicates sources for getting data relevant to the California community colleges.
- Published
- 2010
54. An Analysis of Arizona Individual Income Tax-Credit Scholarship Recipients' Family Income, 2009-10 School Year. Program on Education Policy and Governance Working Paper. PEPG 10-18
- Author
-
Harvard University, Program on Education Policy and Governance and Murray, Vicki E.
- Abstract
In 2009, the "East Valley Tribune and the Arizona Republic" alleged that Arizona's individual income tax-credit scholarship program disproportionately serves privileged students from higher-income families over those from lower-income backgrounds. Yet neither paper collected the student-level, scholarship recipient family income data needed to verify their allegation. This analysis does by using family income and related data provided by school tuition organizations (STOs) for 19,990 individual income tax-credit scholarship recipients, representing almost 80 percent (79.4 percent) of all scholarship recipients in 2009. These student-level data show there is no factual basis for claims that the individual income tax-credit scholarship program fails to help poor and lower-income students. This analysis finds that scholarship recipients' median family income was almost $5,000 lower than the U.S. Census Bureau statewide median annual income. It was also almost $5,000 lower than the median incomes in recipients' neighborhoods, as estimated using student addresses and zip codes. More than two-thirds (66.8 percent) of scholarship recipients' family incomes would qualify them for Arizona's means-tested corporate income tax-credit scholarship program, which is limited to $75,467 for a family of four. Finally, a higher proportion of scholarship recipients come from families whose incomes qualify them as poor (at or below $20,050 for a family of four) than the U.S. Census Bureau statewide average, 12.8 percent compared to 10.2 percent. (Contains 2 tables and 19 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2010
55. The Roles and Practices of Student Services Staff as Data-Driven Instructional Leaders. WCER Working Paper No. 2007-1
- Author
-
Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Madison., Halverson, Richard, and Thomas, Christopher N.
- Abstract
This paper explores the ways in which school leaders are turning to student services staff as local experts in data analysis and use to meet the demands of high-stakes accountability. The authors have been collecting data, as part of a 5-year National Science Foundation-funded study, on how school leaders create data-driven systems to improve instruction at their schools. They found that while schools already had significant capacity to design curriculum-level interventions to address the needs of groups of students, leaders in the schools investigated turned to special education practices and professionals to provide the in-house expertise necessary to create a variety of student-level interventions. This paper provides a picture of the increased role that student services staff have had in developing and maintaining program- and student-level support programs. Specifically, it investigates two central issues: (1) the practices of student services staff provide a precedent for student-level intervention design; and (2) student services staff play new roles as data-savvy instructional leaders. (Contains 1 figure and 3 footnotes.) [This paper was originally prepared for the annual convention of the University Council for Educational Administration (San Antonio, Texas, 2006).]
- Published
- 2007
56. Bridging College and Careers: Using Dual Enrollment to Enhance Career and Technical Education Pathways. An NCPR Working Paper
- Author
-
National Center for Postsecondary Research (ED), Rodriguez, Olga, Hughes, Katherine L., and Belfield, Clive
- Abstract
The Concurrent Courses Initiative (CCI), funded by The James Irvine Foundation from 2008 until 2011, comprised eight secondary/postsecondary partnerships across California that offered dual enrollment programs with supplemental student supports. The goal of the CCI was to expand access to supportive, career-focused dual enrollment for students often underserved by such programs and underrepresented in higher education, with the expectation that participating students would prosper in college subsequently. We use longitudinal administrative data on individual students who participated in 2008-09 and 2009-10, compared with data on other students from their districts, to test for evidence of differences in outcomes. Relative to comparison students, CCI dual enrollees had similar GPAs but higher graduation rates in high school. CCI dual enrollees entered college at similar rates to the comparison group, but entered four-year institutions and persisted at higher rates. Notably, CCI dual enrollees accumulated more college credits than the comparison group, and this difference in credit accumulation grew over time. After two years in college, CCI dual enrollees had accumulated 20 percent more credits than their district peers. These are the results of the data pooled across the sites; we also report results for the individual sites, which vary. Appended are: (1) Partnership Overview; and (2) Supplemental Activities. (Contains 14 tables and 19 footnotes.)[To access "Bridging College and Careers: Using Dual Enrollment to Enhance Career and Technical Education Pathways. NCPR Brief" see ED533874.]
- Published
- 2012
57. Evaluating Institutional Efforts to Streamline Postsecondary Remediation: The Causal Effects of the Tennessee Developmental Course Redesign Initiative on Early Student Academic Success. An NCPR Working Paper
- Author
-
National Center for Postsecondary Research (ED) and Boatman, Angela
- Abstract
Exploiting a statewide cutoff point on the placement examination used to assign students to remedial courses in Tennessee, this study employs a regression discontinuity research design to provide causal estimates of the effects on student outcomes of recently redesigned remedial courses at three Tennessee colleges. Moreover, using data on student outcomes prior to the course redesigns, the study also tests whether the redesigned remedial programs were more effective in preparing students for success in postsecondary education than the remedial programs they replaced. The findings indicate that, among students on the margins of the cutoff score, the effects of enrollment in developmental mathematics were positive and statistically significant on early student persistence as well as on the number of credits attempted but not completed in the first semester. However, these effects did not persist over time, as the results show no statistically significant differences between groups after two years. Yet the study also finds that students who were exposed to redesigned developmental math courses had more positive outcomes than did their peers in non-redesign institutions during the same period and also when compared with students who were exposed to the previous version of traditional remediation within their institution in prior years. Students appear to have benefited from redesigned courses at two of the three institutions. The results of this analysis provide insight into the extent to which the particular instruction and delivery methods of remedial courses affect subsequent student academic outcomes, thus informing administrators and policymakers as to how best to help underprepared students. Summarizing Course Redesign at Each Campus is appended. (Contains 7 tables, 4 figures and 22 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2012
58. The Academic Consequences of Employment for Students Enrolled in Community College. CCRC Working Paper No. 46
- Author
-
Columbia University, Community College Research Center and Dadgar, Mina
- Abstract
College students are increasingly combining studying with paid employment, and community college students tend to work even longer hours compared with students at four-year colleges. Yet, there is little evidence on the academic consequences of community college students' term-time employment. Using a rare administrative dataset from Washington State that combines students' quarterly transcript records with earning records from the state Unemployment Insurance system, this study relies on two causal strategies: first, an individual fixed effects strategy that takes advantage of the quarterly nature of the data to control for unobserved and time-invariant differences among students, and second, an instrumental variable--difference-in-differences framework that takes advantage of the fact that there is an exogenous supply of retail jobs during the winter holidays. The study compares academic outcomes in the fall and winter quarters for students who were more likely to work in retail and those less likely to work in retail based on pre-enrollment association with retail jobs. The findings reject the possibility of large negative effects for small increases in employment for community college students. (Contains 6 tables, 3 figures and 5 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2012
59. Using Cross-Segmental Data Effectively to Support Alignment: How K-12 and Postsecondary Educators Can Access, Examine, and Use Cross-Segmental Data to Frame Discussions about Student Transition and Success in College. Advocacy & Policy Center Affinity Network Background Paper
- Author
-
College Board Advocacy & Policy Center, Radwin, David, and Hensley, Elisabeth
- Abstract
The implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) over the coming years will provide an opportunity for K-12 and postsecondary educators to share and use data effectively to support alignment between the sectors and reduce the need for remedial education. This brief describes how these groups can work together to make the most of data and their shared expertise to increase the proportion of students who are college ready. It also provides a framework for collecting data and information on the critical goal of improving college readiness, including data on related outcomes, processes, and inputs. In an upcoming report, the authors will provide recommendations for key data and other information that can be used to support specific goals and strategies being developed by Affinity Network teams. (Contains 9 references and resources and 2 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2012
60. Institutional Transfer and the Management of Risk in Higher Education. WISCAPE Working Paper
- Author
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education, Deil-Amen, Regina, and Goldrick-Rab, Sara
- Abstract
By probing the micro-level interactions and experiences shaping students' thoughts, behaviors, and decisions during college the authors hope to generate a better picture of how individuals enact the intersection of their own agency with their given social context. Such insights may enable a more accurate and meaningful interpretation of the association between parental education, first-year GPA, and reverse transfer. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the "remain or reverse transfer" decision more closely by focusing on how it occurs among graduates of Chicago Public Schools (CPS). This study reveals the multiple and complex ways in which a sample of low SES four-year college students enact choices and strategies that have an impact whether or not they remain on a four-year trajectory or experience reverse mobility. Findings demonstrate how the nuances of the pre-college goal-setting process have implications not just for access to college but also for students' trajectories through college. The importance of risk-inducing contexts and risk-management strategies emerge prominently, with the role of social capital in negotiating this process gaining central focus. As the authors see from the quantitative findings, CPS students who enroll in 4-year colleges experience reverse transfer at relatively high rates, and this pathway increases their risk of non-completion. Moving beyond the role of parental education, this analysis of qualitative data highlights the pivotal role of advocates in helping students negotiate institutional contexts that induce risk and present serious academic and financial challenges. (Contains 14 endnotes 2 tables.)
- Published
- 2009
61. Explaining the Divergence between Student Numbers and Hours, 2002 to 2007. Technical Paper
- Author
-
National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Karmel, Tom, and Mlotkowski, Peter
- Abstract
Information on the divergence between student numbers and delivery hours for the period 2002 to 2007 is provided in this technical paper. The change in hours from one year to the next is decomposed into three effects, one of which is "hours inflation", whereby nominal hours increase over time for the same unit of competency or module. Here we show that the "hours inflation" explains relatively little of the divergence between students and hours. However, another form of hours creep, whereby new modules have higher average hours than ceased modules, was of some significance at the start of the period in question. A list of tables representing change in hours by state and territory is appended. (Contains 2 footnotes, 7 tables, and 3 figures.) [This work has been produced by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) as a joint initiative of the Australian Government, and state and territory governments, with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.]
- Published
- 2009
62. Why Do the Growth Rates of Students, Enrollments and Hours Differ So Much between 2006 and 2007? Technical Paper
- Author
-
National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Karmel, Tom, Mark, Kevin, and Mlotkowski, Peter
- Abstract
This technical paper examines some large and unusual movements for data in the 2007 VET (Vocational Education Training) Provider Collection by comparison with 2006. Changes in the patterns of courses undertaken explain most of the divergence between students, enrolments and hours. Appendices include: (1) Derivation of the decomposition; (2) Tables of enrolment growth and its effects--2006-2007; and (3) Reporting hours and enrolments for common, new and ceased modules by state. (Contains 48 tables and 1 footnote.) [This work has been produced by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relation.]
- Published
- 2009
63. Stepping Stones: Principal Career Paths and School Outcomes. Working Paper 58
- Author
-
Urban Institute, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), Beteille, Tara, Kalogrides, Demetra, and Loeb, Susanna
- Abstract
Principals tend to prefer working in schools with higher-achieving students from more advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Principals often use schools with many poor or low-achieving students as stepping stones to what they view as more desirable assignments. District leadership can also exacerbate principal turnover by implementing policies aimed at improving low-performing schools such as rotating school leaders. Using longitudinal data from one large urban school district we find principal turnover is detrimental to school performance. Frequent turnover results in lower teacher retention and lower student achievement gains, which are particularly detrimental to students in high-poverty and failing schools. (Contains 10 tables and 3 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2011
64. High School Peer Networks and College Success: Lessons from Texas. Discussion Paper Series DP 2008-07
- Author
-
University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research, Fletcher, Jason, and Tienda, Marta
- Abstract
This paper uses administrative data from the University of Texas-Austin to examine whether high school peer networks at college entry influence college achievement, measured by grade point average (GPA) and persistence. For each freshman cohort from 1993 through 2003 we calculate the number and ethnic makeup of college freshmen from each Texas high school, which we use as a proxy for freshmen "peer network." Empirical specifications include high school fixed effects to control for unobservable differences across schools that influence both college enrollment behavior and academic performance. Using an IV/fixed effects strategy that exploits the introduction and expansion of the Longhorn Scholars Program, which targeted low income schools with low college traditions we also evaluate whether "marginal" increases in peer networks influence college achievement. Results show that students with larger peer network upon entering college perform better than their counterparts with smaller networks at the beginning of their freshman year. Average effects of network size on college achievement are small, but a marginal increase in the size of same-race peer networks raises GPA by 0.1 point. We also find some suggestive evidence that minority students with large high school peer networks reap larger academic benefits than their white counterparts. (Contains 7 tables and 9 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2008
65. Teacher Preparation and Student Achievement. Working Paper 20
- Author
-
Urban Institute, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), Boyd, Donald, Grossman, Pamela, Lankford, Hamilton, Loeb, Susanna, and Wyckoff, James
- Abstract
There are fierce debates over the best way to prepare teachers. Some argue that easing entry into teaching is necessary to attract strong candidates, while others argue that investing in high quality teacher preparation is the most promising approach. Most agree, however, that we lack a strong research basis for understanding how to prepare teachers. This paper is one of the first to estimate the effects of features of teachers' preparation on teachers' value-added to student test score performance in Math and English Language Arts. Our results indicate variation across preparation programs in the average effectiveness of the teachers they are supplying to New York City schools. In particular, preparation directly linked to practice appears to benefit teachers in their first year. Sample Results for Math with Pathway/Institution Effects and Description of Variables are appended. (Contains 6 footnotes, 9 tables and 4 figures.) [Funding for this report was provided by the City University of New York.]
- Published
- 2008
66. The New Instructional Leadership: Creating Data-Driven Instructional Systems in Schools. WCER Working Paper No. 2005-9
- Author
-
Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Madison., Halverson, Richard, Prichett, Reid, Grigg, Jeffrey, and Thomas, Chris
- Abstract
The recent demand for schools to respond to external accountability measures challenges school leaders to create school instructional systems that use data to guide the practices of teaching and learning. This paper considers how local school leaders build data-driven instructional systems (DDIS) by developing new programs and using existing school functions to create an information flow through a school. The paper considers how leaders work with teachers and students to create DDIS to intentionally and systematically improve student learning. The paper begins by presenting a theoretical and analytical framework for understanding the systems that local school leaders create to develop a DDIS to facilitate an information flow about student achievement in schools. The DDIS is presented as six component functions involving (1) data acquisition, (2) data reflection, (3) program alignment and integration, (4) program design, (5) formative feedback, and (6) test preparation. The second part of the paper reviews data collected in a year-long study of four schools, using the DDIS cycle as a framework for describing how school leaders structure opportunities to engage in data-driven decision making. The data provide rich examples of how schools facilitate and impede the flow of student achievement information, and call into question any simple definition of data-based decision making in schools. The following are appended: (1) DDIS Interview Protocol; and (2) DDIS Coding Scheme. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure, and 2 footnotes.) [This paper was prepared for the Annual meeting of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (Washington, DC, July 2005).]
- Published
- 2005
67. Assessing the Determinants and Implications of Teacher Layoffs. Working Paper 55
- Author
-
Urban Institute, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), Goldhaber, Dan, and Theobald, Roddy
- Abstract
Over 2000 teachers in the state of Washington received reduction-in-force (RIF) notices in the past two years. The authors link data on these RIF notices to a unique dataset that includes student, teacher, school, and district variables to determine the factors that predict the likelihood of a teacher receiving a RIF notice. They find a teacher's seniority is the greatest predictor, but (all else equal) teachers with a master's degree and teachers credentialed in the "high-needs areas" of math, science, and special education were less likely to receive a RIF notice. Value-added measures of teacher effectiveness can be calculated for a subset of the teachers and these show no relationship between effectiveness and the likelihood of receiving a RIF notice. Finally, simulations suggest that a very different group of teachers would be targeted for layoffs under an effectiveness-based layoff scenario than under the seniority-driven system that exists today. (Contains 3 figures, 7 tables and 68 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2010
68. Handheld E-Book Readers and Scholarship Report and Reader Survey: ACLS Humanities E-Book. White Paper No. 3
- Author
-
American Council of Learned Societies and Gielen, Nina
- Abstract
This report describes a conversion experiment and subsequent reader survey conducted by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Humanities E-Book (HEB) in late 2009 and early 2010 to assess the viability of using scholarly monographs with handheld e-readers. As sample content, HEB selected six titles from its own online collection, three in a page-image format with existing OCR (optical character recognition)-derived text and three encoded as XML files, and had these converted by an outside vendor with minimal editorial intervention into both MOBI (prc) and ePub files. During its in-house assessment phase, HEB experienced some navigational difficulty with both formats and found that annotation and other interaction with the text was difficult using a number of popular e-readers. HEB also found the XML titles to be of limited functionality in the MOBI format and therefore opted not to further poll readers on this subset. About 88% of the 142 survey participants expressed overall satisfaction with the appearance and functionality of the three remaining handheld samples, although roughly half reported some level of frustration with the search function using either format, and only 26% felt they would have an easy time citing and referencing these editions. Satisfaction with other interactive features, such as adding notes, bookmarking and highlighting, was noticeably higher; however, the "n/a" option was also selected frequently for these categories, and it appears that a large number of participants were unable to perform the tasks in question due to confusing or insufficient instructions from the device manufacturer. As formats evolve, future satisfaction with these features may increase. Irrespective of specific limitations, 75% of participants were interested in potentially downloading additional similar titles for free or if priced below $10. HEB's initial findings in this study indicate that titles formatted for existing handheld devices are not yet adequate for scholarly use in terms of replicating either the benefits of online collections--cross-searchability, archiving, multifarious interactive components--nor certain aspects of print editions that users reported missing, such as being able to mark up and rapidly skim text. A turnaround is underway once a common and more robust format optimized for handheld readers is determined and devices themselves evolve, adding improved display options and better and more intuitive web-access, searching and other interactive use of content. Survey Results is appended. (Contains 30 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2010
69. Seniority Rules: Do Staffing Reforms Help Redistribute Teacher Quality and Reduce Teacher Turnover? CRPE Working Paper 2010-1
- Author
-
University of Washington, Center on Reinventing Public Education, Gross, Betheny, DeArmond, Michael, and Goldhaber, Dan
- Abstract
Education reformers routinely call on school districts to stop hiring teachers based on seniority, which they argue interferes with effective staffing, especially in disadvantaged schools. The few researchers who have empirically studied the issue, however, disagree about whether seniority-based hiring is systematically associated with staffing problems for disadvantaged schools. We approach the question by examining what happens when a single urban school district eliminates seniority-based hiring preferences. We conduct an interrupted time-series analysis of data from 1998-2005 and find that the shift from a seniority-based hiring system to a "mutual consent" hiring system leads to an initial increase in both teacher turnover and share of inexperienced teachers, especially in the district's most disadvantaged schools. For the most part, however, these initial shocks are corrected within four years leaving little change in the distribution of inexperienced teachers or levels of turnover across schools of different advantage. The results suggest that although it might be necessary for school districts to lift hiring constraints to improve school staffing, lifting seniority-based constraints alone is unlikely to be sufficient. (Contains 5 tables, 10 figures and 13 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2010
70. The Impact of a Universal Class-Size Reduction Policy: Evidence from Florida's Statewide Mandate. Program on Education Policy and Governance Working Papers Series. PEPG 10-03
- Author
-
Harvard University, Program on Education Policy and Governance and Chingos, Matthew M.
- Abstract
Class-size reduction (CSR) mandates presuppose that resources provided to reduce class size will have a larger impact on student outcomes than resources that districts can spend as they see fit. I estimate the impact of Florida's statewide CSR policy by comparing the deviations from prior achievement trends in districts that were required to reduce class size to deviations from prior trends in districts that received equivalent resources but were not required to reduce class size. I use the same comparative interrupted time series design to compare schools that were differentially affected by the policy (in terms of whether they had to reduce class size) but that did not receive equal additional resources. The results from both the district- and school-level analyses indicate that mandated CSR in Florida had little, if any, effect on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. Thirteen tables are appended: (1) Effect of Required CSR at District Level on District Characteristics; (2) Effect of Required CSR at School Level on School Characteristics; (3) District-Level Models with Additional Years of Pre-Treatment Data (Effects in Student-Level Standard Deviations); (4) District-Level Estimates that Condition on Prior-Year Controls (Effects in Student-Level Standard Deviations); (5) District-Level Analysis Robustness Checks (Effects in Student-Level Standard Deviations); (6) Effects of District-Level CSR on FCAT Scores (Student-Level Standard Deviations), Standard Difference-in-Differences Specification; (7) Effects of District-Level CSR on Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) Scores (Student-Level Standard Deviations); (8) Achievement Effects of District-level CSR by Subgroup (Student-Level Standard Deviations); (9) Effects of District-Level CSR on Non-Cognitive Outcomes; (10) School-Level Estimates that Condition on Prior-Year Controls (Effects in Student-Level Standard Deviations); (11) Effects of School-Level CSR on FCAT Scores (Student-Level Standard Deviations), Standard Difference-in-Differences Specification; (12) Achievement Effects of School-Level CSR by Subgroup (Student-Level Standard Deviations); and (13) Effects of School-Level CSR on Non-Cognitive Outcomes. (Contains 3 figures, 21 tables and 32 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2010
71. Remediation in the Community College: An Evaluator's Perspective. CCRC Working Paper No. 9
- Author
-
Columbia Univ., New York, NY. Community Coll. Research Center., Levin, Henry M., and Calcagno, Juan Carlos
- Abstract
Remediation is the most common policy designed to prepare students academically and socially during their early stages of college. But despite its profound importance and its significant costs, there is very little rigorous research analyzing its effectiveness. The goal of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for evaluation of remedial education programs. Based on previous literature, we review a list of ingredients for successful interventions, present a number of approaches to remediation that make use of these ingredients, discuss alternative research designs for systematic evaluations, and enumerate basic data requirements. (Contains 19 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2007
72. Everyone's Doing It, but What Does Teacher Testing Tell Us about Teacher Effectiveness? Working Paper 9
- Author
-
Urban Institute, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) and Goldhaber, Dan
- Abstract
This paper explores the relationship between teacher testing and teacher effectiveness using a unique dataset that links teachers to their individual students. My findings show a positive relationship between some teacher licensure tests and student achievement. But they also suggest that states face significant tradeoffs when they require particular performance levels as a precondition to becoming a teacher: some teachers whom we might wish were not in the teacher workforce based on their contribution toward student achievement are eligible to teach based on their performance on these tests, while other individuals who would be effective teachers are ineligible. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure and 25 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2007
73. Key Issues in Studying Charter Schools and Achievement: A Review and Suggestions for National Guidelines. NCSRP White Paper Series, Number 2
- Author
-
Washington Univ., Seattle. Center on Reinventing Public Education.
- Abstract
This report from the Charter School Achievement Consensus Panel, a group of nine researchers convened by the National Charter School Research Project, examines the existing research on student achievement in charter schools and details how future research could be improved. The panel reviewed and rated more than 40 evaluations of charter school performance released between 2000 and 2005. Studies evaluating charter schools nationally or across states were found to be "fair" to "poor." Two key findings are that: (1) no one research method or approach is problem-free; and (2) the results of studies focused on one kind of charter school cannot be generalized to all charter schools. The panel offers guidelines for local, regional, and national studies and recommends that the research community consider the pattern of results from multiple studies instead of relying on a single study for definitive results. This White Paper is the first in a series of reports from the consensus panel, all of which will be concerned with assessing and strengthening the evidence about charter school outcomes. Appended are: (1) List of Charter School Studies Included in Literature Review; and (2) Details on the Literature on Charter Schools. (Contains 6 tables and 3 figures.) [Principal drafters of this report were: Julian Betts and Paul T. Hill.]
- Published
- 2006
74. Longitudinal Data Systems to Support Data-Informed Decision Making: A Tri-State Partnership between Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. WCER Working Paper No. 2006-1
- Author
-
Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Madison., Thorn, Christopher A., and Meyer, Robert H.
- Abstract
The U.S. Department of Education recently held a competition for grants to support states in their efforts to build longitudinal data systems to track and analyze student and school performance. The Value-Added Research Center (VARC) at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, proposed a Tri-State Partnership in collaboration with the states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Fourteen states were funded, with the Tri-State Partnership proposal the only multi-state effort to win approval. This paper outlines the initial design and work plan of the partnership. It also presents several of the design concerns related to complex system development for educational improvement. (Contains 2 figures.)
- Published
- 2006
75. An Agenda for NAEP Validity Research: NAEP Validity Studies. Working Paper Series.
- Author
-
National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC. and Stancavage, Frances B.
- Abstract
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Validity Studies Panel undertook a systematic analysis to consider the domain of validity threats to NAEP and to identify the most urgent research priorities. A framework of six broad categories was developed: (1) the constructs measured within each of NAEP's subject domains; (2) the manner in which these constructs are measured; (3) the representation of the population; (4) the analyses of data; (5) the reporting and use of NAEP results; and (6) the assessment of trends. Panel subcommittees prepared papers laying out the critical validity issues in each area. These papers, which are presented in chapters 2 through 7 of this report, are: (1) "Validity Issues Representing Populations" (Donald H. McLaughlin, Peter Behuniak, and James R. Chromy) (Chapter 4); (2) "Issues and Recommendations on NAEP Data Analysis" (R. Darrell Bock, Albert Beaton, and Gerald DeMauro) (Chapter 5); (3) "Validity and Utility Issues in NAEP Reporting and Data Releases" (Frances B. Stancavage and Ina V. S. Mullins) (Chapter 6); and (4) "Estimating Trends from NAEP Scores: Rationale and Research Directions" (David Grissmer, Albert E. Beaton, and Larry Hedges) (Chapter 7). The panel reviewed these papers and set priorities in each area by a consensus process. Sixteen suggested studies or areas of study were identified. Four stood out as essential, nine others were considered "highly needed," and three were found to be less important. The panel indicated unanimously that studies are essential to evaluate the validity aspects of NAEPs new role under the No Child Left Behind Act. The appendix to chapter 4 is attached. (Contains 6 figures and 26 tables.) (SLD)
- Published
- 2003
76. Optimizing State NAEP: Issues and Possible Improvements: NAEP Validity Studies. Working Paper Series.
- Author
-
National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC. and Mullis, Ina V. S.
- Abstract
This paper addresses three key topics related to making state National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments more efficient: (1) reducing the burden for the states; (2) stabilizing the assessment schedule; and (3) facilitating and promoting the use of state NAEP data. The paper recommends promoting the use of state NAEP data for the continued success of the NAEP program. It suggests that this could involve devoting greater attention to how best to link state assessment and NAEP results, developing more timely and user-friendly reports and working with states and other organizations to address the needs of different NAEP audiences more effectively. The paper also suggests spending proportionately less of the state NAEP resources on data collection and more on disseminating information about the many uses of the program. (Contains 3 tables and 10 references.) (SLD)
- Published
- 2003
77. School Segregation under Color-Blind Jurisprudence: The Case of North Carolina. Working Paper 16
- Author
-
Urban Institute, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), Clotfelter, Charles T., Ladd, Helen F., and Vigdor, Jacob L.
- Abstract
Using detailed administrative data for the public K-12 schools of North Carolina, we measure racial segregation in its public schools. With data for the 2005-2006 school year, we update previously published calculations that measure segregation by unevenness in racial enrollment patterns, both between schools and within schools. We find that classroom segregation generally increased between 2000-2001 and 2005-2006, continuing, albeit at a slightly slower rate, the trend of increases we observed over the preceding six years. Segregation increased sharply in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, which introduced a new choice plan in 2002. Over the same period, racial and economic disparities in teacher quality widened in that district. Finally, we compare our basic measure to two alternative measures of segregation. An appendix is included. (Contains 31 footnotes and 11 tables.)
- Published
- 2008
78. Public School Choice and Integration: Evidence from Durham, North Carolina. Working Paper 14
- Author
-
Urban Institute, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), Bifulco, Robert, Ladd, Helen F., and Ross, Stephen
- Abstract
Using evidence from Durham, North Carolina, we examine the impact of school choice programs on racial and class-based segregation across schools. Theoretical considerations suggest that how choice programs affect segregation will depend not only on the family preferences emphasized in the sociology literature but also on the linkages between student composition, school quality, and student achievement emphasized in the economics literature, and on the availability of schools of different types. Reasonable assumptions about how these factors differ for students of different races and socio-economic status suggest that the segregating choices of students from advantaged backgrounds are likely to outweigh any integrating choices by disadvantaged students. The results of our empirical analysis are consistent with these theoretical considerations. Using information on the actual schools students attend and on the schools in their assigned attendance zones, we find that schools in Durham are more segregated by race and class as a result of school choice programs than they would be if all students attended their geographically assigned schools. In addition, we find that the effects of choice on segregation by class are larger than the effects on segregation by race. (Contains 9 tables and 12 endnotes.)
- Published
- 2008
79. Oral French Interlanguage Corpora: Tools for Data Management and Analysis. Occasional Paper.
- Author
-
Southampton Univ. (England). Centre for Language Education., Marsden, Emma, Myles, Florence, Rule, Sarah, and Mitchell, Rosamond
- Abstract
This paper describes several methodological decisions made during a study of linguistic development of French in British classroom learners, highlighting the significance of choosing suitable tools for collecting, transcribing, and analyzing oral interlanguage data and noting the usefulness for interlanguage research of the CHILDES (Child Language Data Exchange System) procedures, which consists of three integrated components: the Talkbank database, CHAT (Codes for Human Analysis of Transcripts), and CLAN (Computerized Language Analysis). This paper is based on the Linguistic Development in Classroom Learners of French research project, which documents linguistic progression among classroom learners of French in grades 9-11, analyzes the development of morphosyntactic structures in spoken learner French, and evaluates the creative construction process and its interaction with formulaic languages among instructed learners. The paper notes general problems with the transcription and coding of French interlanguage but suggests that experiences to date with using CHILDES is encouraging. Three appendixes include elicitation tasks, CHAT symbols, and examples of preliminary transcription. (Contains 14 references.) (SM)
- Published
- 2002
80. Update on the Commission's University Eligibility Study for the Class of 2007. Working Paper WP/07-06
- Author
-
California Postsecondary Education Commission
- Abstract
The Commission has started collecting data for the 2007 University Eligibility Study. This study is the latest in a series that began in 1966 to estimate the percentage of California public high school graduates who meet the admission requirements of the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). California Education Code Section 66903 (q) directs the Commission to conduct periodic eligibility studies. The most recently completed eligibility study was for the high school graduating class of 2003. Eligibility studies are conducted by collecting a sample of transcripts from high schools throughout the State. The transcripts are reviewed by university staff to compare admission requirements with the courses, grades, and test scores of the sampled students. Statewide eligibility rates are estimated from this sample.
- Published
- 2007
81. Building Quality, Scale, and Effectiveness in After-School Programs: Supplementary Papers to Accompany the Summary Report of the TASC Evaluation
- Author
-
Policy Studies Associates, Inc., Washington, DC.
- Abstract
From its founding, The After-School Corporation (TASC) has worked to advance two interrelated goals: (1) Increase the availability of after-school opportunities by providing resources and approaches for establishing new projects and expanding existing projects; and (2) Enhance the quality of after-school services by incorporating research-based program components that are associated with student success and program sustainability. These goals have led TASC to engage in the rapid development and scaling up of after-school programming, in itself a major logistical accomplishment, and also the implementation of project monitoring, technical assistance, and professional development, along with the creation of special initiatives to address the relationships and supports that sustain TASC's network of after-school projects. These Supplementary Papers describe the overall goals and mission of TASC, the after-school service approach that it adopted, the resources and partnerships that support TASC, and its efforts to develop an after-school workforce. Appended are: (1) Criteria and Initial Characteristics of Participants, Active Participants, and Nonparticipants; and (2) Details of Data Used in Analysis of Changes in School Attendance. [This report was prepared for The After-School Corporation. For the Summary Report of the TASC Evaluation, see ED491883.]
- Published
- 2004
82. National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04) Field Test Methodology Report, 2004. Working Paper Series. NCES 2004-01
- Author
-
National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC., Heuer, R. E., Cahalan, M., and Fahimi, M.
- Abstract
This report describes the methodology and findings of the NSOPF:04 field test that took place during the 2002?03 academic year. The NSOPF:04 field test was used to plan, implement, and evaluate methodological procedures, instruments, and systems proposed for use in the full-scale study scheduled for the 2003-04 academic year. The field test was particularly important in this cycle of NSOPF, because of several changes from prior NSOPF data collections. These included: (1) the combination of NSOPF and NPSAS into NSoFaS:04, which had important implications for the NSOPF:04 institution sample design and institution contacting procedures; (2) eliminating the paper self-administered survey mode of response; (3) using integrated web/computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) instruments; (4) shortening the faculty questionnaire; and (5) implementing measures to shorten the data collection period, such as early institution contacting and use of incentives for early response. This field test methodology report is designed to summarize the findings with regard to NSOPF for each of these changes. The methodology and findings of the NPSAS:04 field test are provided in a separate report. Appended are: (1) Technical Review Panel; (2) Facsimile Instruments; (3) Item Crosswalks; (4) Contacting Materials; (5) Training Materials; (6) CIP Code Mapping; and (7) TRP Meeting Summary.
- Published
- 2004
83. Paper Towels, Baseball, Puzzles, Nuts & Bolts & the TI-83Plus STAT Tests Menu.
- Author
-
Carruth, Barbara
- Abstract
This collection of activities is designed to show how graphing calculators can be used to explore statistics. The activities address such topics as data representation, distributions, and statistical tests. Teaching notes and calculator instructions are included as are blackline masters. (MM)
- Published
- 2001
84. The Monitoring the Future Project after Twenty-Seven Years: Design and Procedures. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper 54.
- Author
-
Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor. Inst. for Social Research., Bachman, Jerald G., Johnston, Lloyd D., and O'Malley, Patrick, M.
- Abstract
This occasional paper updates and extends earlier papers in the Monitoring the Future project. It provides a detailed description of the project's design, including sampling design; data collection procedures; measurement content; and questionnaire format. It attempts to include sufficient information for others who wish to evaluate the results, to replicate aspects of the study, or to analyze data that is archived. Although there have been additions to the study design and procedures, the basic study design described in a 1978 paper has remained constant in its fundamental characteristics, which is considered the key condition for its ability to successfully measure change. Following an introduction and overview, this paper presents the scope, purposes, and rationale for the nationwide sampling of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students. In the measures section, an overview is presented of the conceptual framework of the study, the outline of questionnaire content, the questionnaire organization, and the consent and format of the 8th and 10th grade questionnaires. Sampling and data collection procedures are included in the next section, which is followed by the representativeness and validity. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures, and 106 references.) (JDM)
- Published
- 2001
85. Boolean Classes and Qualitative Inquiry. WCER Working Paper No. 2006-3
- Author
-
Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Madison., Nathan, Mitchell J., and Jackson, Kristi
- Abstract
The prominent role of Boolean classes in qualitative data analysis software is viewed by some as an encroachment of logical positivism on qualitative research methodology. The authors articulate an embodiment perspective, in which Boolean classes are viewed as conceptual metaphors for apprehending and manipulating data, concepts, and categories in the same way we perceive and manipulate worldly objects and containers. Drawing on examples from seminal approaches to qualitative methods, they demonstrate how one central aspect of qualitative research practices--the process of coding data--can productively be viewed as collecting and containing concepts and categories in this embodied sense. They discuss the implications of this view for coding and for bridging qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)
- Published
- 2006
86. Higher Educational Expansion in Taiwan from 1950 to 1994: Patterns and Explanations. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.
- Author
-
Wang, Li-yun
- Abstract
This paper examines the expansion of higher education in Taiwan from 1950 to 1994, looking first at the patterns of the expansion and, secondly, attempting to account for these patterns. Higher education in Taiwan is defined as general universities and colleges, institutes of technology, and junior colleges with governance of the system under the control of the Ministry of Education. The study reviewed major historical events and examined documents and the literature concerning patterns of expansion in the number of institutions, in the number of students enrolled, and in expenditures. The study then reviewed the state's stated reasons--economic concerns, educational quality, social demands, and equal distribution of resources--for regulating expansion of higher education, and compared these reasons with other models of educational expansion and with the actual results achieved. The paper concludes by taking issue with the state's official position and suggests that the primary reason for its controlling growth was to keep unemployment rates among college graduates low. Further studies to examine educational policy making and educational supply and demand models are suggested. Appendices illustrate the structure of the Taiwan school system, list historical events related to higher educational expansion, list official documents reviewed, and provide graphical displays of trend data. (Contains approximately 100 references.) (CH)
- Published
- 1996
87. Methodological Issues in Evaluation Research: The Milwaukee School Choice Plan. Occasional Paper 96-4.
- Author
-
Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Dept. of Government., Greene, Jay P., and Peterson, Paul E.
- Abstract
In August 1996 Jay P. Greene, Paul E. Peterson, and Jiangtao Du, with Leesa Boeger and Curtis L. Frazier, issued a report called "The Effectiveness of School Choice in Milwaukee." The report, referred to as GPDBF, presented data that indicated that low-income minority students in their third and fourth years of participation in the Milwaukee choice program performed better on standardized math and reading tests than did students who were not selected for the program. The GPDBF report explained why its results differed from those reported by a previous research team headed by Dr. John Witte. The Witte report found no effect of enrollment in choice schools on test performance. Witte, in the paper "Reply to Greene, Peterson, and Du," replied to the GPDBF report in late August 1996. This paper, a response to Dr. Witte, discusses methodological issues that affect the evaluation of school choice in Milwaukee. The paper argues that the Witte response failed to cast doubt on the GPDBF findings, and that Witte failed to justify his own analysis against reasonable criticism. The paper defends the GPDBF findings against three criticisms made by Witte: (1) that GPDBF used a mode of analysis inappropriate for educational research; (2) that GPDBF sample sizes were too small to allow for reasonable statistical inference; and (3) that missing cases biased the GPDBF results. Seven tables are included. (LMI)
- Published
- 1996
88. Data Use in the School and Classroom: The Challenges of Implementing Data-Based Decision Making Inside Schools. WCER Working Paper No. 2002-2
- Author
-
Wisconsin Center for Education Research, Madison. and Thorn, Christopher A.
- Abstract
Systemic efforts to implement data-based decision making at the school and classroom level face several challenges. First, most data available within district information systems are limited to what has been deemed important for the operational needs of schools and the district. Second, educational organizations have little experience integrating complex data into their decision-making processes. Third, although large-scale assessment and accountability data are more generally available for gauging the performance of educational systems, there are major differences between the evidence used for external accountability systems and the data needed for making instructional decisions on a daily basis in the classroom. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table, and 6 notes.) [The research reported in this paper is also sponsored by the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, School of Education, University of Wisconsin--Madison.]
- Published
- 2002
89. School Locale Codes, 1987-2000. Working Paper Series.
- Author
-
National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC. and Speicher, Nancy
- Abstract
A school locale code defines show a school is situated in a particular location in terms of the size of the community in which it is located and the proximity of that community to urban and metropolitan areas. School locale codes are part of the general information reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Common Core of Data (CCD) Public School Universe file. This paper includes information on the history of locale codes; the definitions of codes and how they have changed since the original codes were developed; the original methodology for assigning school locale codes, metro status codes, and district-level locale codes; and the changes that have taken place in the methodologies. It is intended as a resource for those who use local code statistics from multiple years of the NCES CCD files. Locale codes were first used in the school year 1987-1988 data collection, but their definitions have changed over the years, and will continue to change as the need arises. (SLD)
- Published
- 2002
90. Dealing with Messy Data: Analyzing Pre- and Post-test Assessment Results in the Real World. AIR 1999 Annual Forum Paper.
- Author
-
Weimer, Don
- Abstract
This paper presents a model for analyzing and drawing inferences from pre- and post-assessment data that are not as clean as might be desired. The model was applied to comparison of freshman and senior scores on the Academic Profile and Short Form at Cardinal Stritch University (Wisconsin). As of 1997-98, 891 pre-tests had been administered to new students and 514 post-tests to completing seniors. However, some seniors students were never post-tested, some students took the test more than once, and some students didn't take the test seriously. This study eliminated scores that were greater or less than two standard deviations from the gross means, then recalculated means and standard deviations. Then separate t-tests were compared: (1) pre- and post-test scores of students who had taken both tests (matched pairs); (2) scores of students who had taken only the pre-test or post-test (independent samples); and (3) comparisons of classic predictors of college success (college entrance exam scores, high school grades). Comparison of matched pairs indicated significant differences favoring the post-tests as did comparison of the independent samples. However, several predictor measures for pre-test takers were higher than for post-test takers, an unexpected finding for which possible interpretations are offered. (DB)
- Published
- 1999
91. Overcoming the Challenge of Low Response Rate in Alumni Surveys. AIR 1999 Annual Forum Paper.
- Author
-
Eliza, Sylvia M., Rodriguez, Luis R., and Rosario, Elmy
- Abstract
This paper describes the strategies used at the University of Puerto Rico (Humacao) to overcome limitations resulting from a low response rate to their alumni surveys. Evaluation of earlier experiences with alumni studies led to identification of two principles for effective alumni studies: (1) the alumni study has to be a collaborative effort between the faculty in the academic programs and the institutional researchers, and (2) graduates' loyalty is more to their faculty and their programs than the institution as a whole. The revised approach utilized a questionnaire evaluating both the institution and the specific program. It addition to the questionnaire, the approach used focus groups and personal interviews. Findings indicated: increases in response rates from 28 percent to 41 percent for one-year graduates and from 12 percent to 33 percent for three-year graduates; increases in faculty participation from 6 departments (46 percent) to 12 departments (92 percent), and implementation of a new institutional study of employers and graduate schools. (Contains 30 references and 7 tables.) (DB)
- Published
- 1999
92. Selected Papers in School Finance, 1995.
- Author
-
National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC. and Fowler, William J.
- Abstract
Those who study education policy have struggled to understand how money matters in education and why educational research finds no strong or consistent relationship between expenditures and student performance. The papers in this publication were commissioned by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to address the twin concerns of what additional school-finance information NCES should collect and report, and how extant data might be analyzed. The publication is dedicated to Charles S. Benson, University of California, Berkeley, who dedicated his life's work to improving education finance for students in poor school districts. Following the foreword by Paul D. Planchon, and acknowledgments, contents include the following papers: (1) "Introduction and Overview" (William J. Fowler, Jr.); (2) "Does Money Matter in Education? A Policymaker's Guide" (Lawrence O. Picus); (3) "The Effect of Constitutional Litigation on Educational Finance: A Further Analysis" (G. Alan Hickrod); (4) "Student-Level School Resource Measures" (Robert Berne and Leanna Stiefel); (5) "Proposed 'Good Practices' for Creating Data Bases from the F-33 and CCD for School Finance Analyses" (Michael O'Leary and Jay Moskowitz); and (6) "The Empirical Argument for Educational Adequacy, the Critical Gaps in the Knowledge Base, and a Suggested Research Agenda" (William H. Clune). Each article contains references. (LMI)
- Published
- 1997
93. Lifelong Learning NCES Task Force: Final Report, Volume II. Working Paper Series.
- Author
-
National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC.
- Abstract
This document contains the eight appendixes from the National Center for Education Statistics's (NCES's) final report on lifelong learning in the United States. Appendix A discusses the considerations that entered into the formulation of the definition of lifelong learning adopted for the NCES study. Appendix B, "Literature Review on Lifelong Learning" (Sean Creighton, Linda Shafer, Shannon M. Blaney), examines the literature on the context, process, and provision of lifelong learning and lists 47 references. Appendix C presents the following commissioned papers, all of which contain substantial bibliographies: "Social, Demographic, Economic, and Technological Trends Affecting Lifelong Learning" (David Billis); "The Higher Education Provider in the Information Age: Data Implications" (David R. Powers); "An Analysis of Four Workplace Trends and Their Implications for Data Collection" (Bonalyn J. Nelsen); and "Informal and Avocational Learning" (Barbara H. Butler). Appendix D contains a list of members of the technical review panel, a meeting summary, and a background report. Appendixes E-H contain the following items: a list prioritizing issues in 12 areas; overviews of the data collection procedures used in 18 national surveys pertinent to lifelong learning; an exploration of 12 conceptual and measurement issues; and summaries of the task force meetings on data availability. (MN)
- Published
- 2000
94. Evaluation of the 1992 NALS Background Survey Questionnaire: An Analysis of Uses with Recommendations for Revisions. Working Paper Series.
- Author
-
Education Statistics Services Inst., Washington, DC., Smith, M. Cecil, and Sheehan-Holt, Janet K.
- Abstract
A study focused on researchers' use of the English-Language Background Questionnaire (EBQ) portion of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), the results of which were released in 1993. Data were gathered by surveying NALS data users about how they have used the EBQ data, their perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of the EBQ, and their recommendations for changes to the EBQ. A content analysis was also conducted of published research papers that have involved analyses of the EBQ data to determine how the data were used in these research analyses. The study also drew upon recommendations garnered by a series of focus groups conducted by the American Institutes for Research in 1998. These sources were integrated with the study's own analysis of the NALS data. The following changes to the EBQ for future adult literacy assessments were recommended: expand the questions pertaining to educational experiences; expand the section on social and political participation or move the current items to other areas and delete this section; add an item on voter registration; acquire more detailed information regarding work history, wages, and parents' occupations; expand the section pertaining to literacy practices; and gather information on technological literacy practices. (Appendixes include 34 references; instruments; and studies examined for content review.) (YLB)
- Published
- 2000
95. Interpreting Biglan's 'Hard-Soft' Dimension of Disciplinary Variation. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.
- Author
-
Hargens, Lowell L.
- Abstract
Anthony Biglan (1973) proposed a typology of academic disciplines that identified three dimensions of academics' perceptions of the similarity of fields of scholarship: (1) "hard-soft", (2) "pure-applied", and (3) "life-non-life". Derek Price (1965) suggested that bibliographic data could be used to provide an assessment of whether hard and soft fields vary as suggested by Biglan's interpretation. Using reference network graphs of publication patterns of citation patterns, Price argued that in research areas exhibiting high levels of consensus, scholars tend to cite recently published documents but in fields with low levels of consensus, there is no disproportional citation of recent work. To assess Price's argument, this study collected data in nine research areas in disciplines spanning Biglan's hard-soft dimension. Using published reviews in each area and indices, publication lists were created of cited works. The results are generally consistent with Biglan's interpretation of the hard-soft dimension as reflecting disciplinary differences in consensus. Four physical science specialties showed over-citation of recent papers while the four social and behavioral science areas showed under-citation of recent papers. One area, in mathematics, did not show the predicted results. The consistency between the results found and Biglan's interpretation of the nature of the "hard-soft" dimension, provides a measure of support for Biglan's interpretation. (Contains 16 references.) (JLS)
- Published
- 1996
96. The Effectiveness of School Choice in Milwaukee: A Secondary Analysis of Data from the Program's Evaluation. Occasional Paper 96-3.
- Author
-
Greene, Jay P.
- Abstract
In 1990, Milwaukee (Wisconsin) became the site of the first publicly funded school-choice program providing low-income parents with vouchers that could be used to send their children to secular, private schools. An evaluation of Milwaukee's school-choice experiment was conducted by a team of researchers, headed by John Witte at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, during the years 1991-95. That study concluded that choice was not an effective way to improve the education of low-income, central-city students. The data were made available on the World Wide Web in February 1996. This paper presents findings of a study conducted by the Center for Public Policy at the University of Houston (CPP) and the Program in Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University (PEPG) that analyzed the University of Wisconsin-Madison database and research methodology. The CPP/PEPG study examined student performance as measured by standardized mathematics and reading tests. It concludes that students enrolled in choice schools for 3 or more years, on average, did better on standardized tests than a comparable group of students attending Milwaukee public schools. The results indicate that the reading scores of choice students in their 3rd and 4th years were, on average, from 3 and 5 percentile points higher, respectively, than those of comparable public school students. Math scores, on average, were 5 and 12 percentile points higher for the 3rd and 4th years, respectively. The CPP/PEPG study also argues that the earlier researchers failed to use analytic techniques appropriate to experimental data; the bulk of their research focused on comparisons between choice students and a much less disadvantaged cross-section of public school students. Nine tables are included. (Contains 30 end notes.) (LMI)
- Published
- 1996
97. 'All On Your Own Time': Informal Learning Practices of Bank Branch Workers. NALL Working Paper.
- Author
-
Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, Toronto. New Approaches to Lifelong Learning., Mitchell, Laura, and Livingstone, D. W.
- Abstract
The informal learning practices of bank branch workers were examined in a study of a major Canadian bank. The study included ethnographic fieldwork and secondary analysis of a national survey of branch workers' learning practices during the introduction of a new financial services software system. Activity theory was used to examine workers' informal learning practices as situated and to trace the shift learning at the bank branch during the 1990s from a process based on a largely informal training approach to an increasingly formalized self-study approach. The study established that the bank branch workers continued to rely heavily on collective and individual informal learning practices to perform their day-to-day work, adjust to the introduction of new processes and technologies, and cope with stress even though the restructuring of work processes and learning that had occurred within the bank left the workers with diminishing time for study and learning. The study resulted in nine recommendations, including the following: (1) allocate at least 1 hour of on-the-job time per week for collective and individual learning; (2) create a learning environment within the bank's branches; (3) recognize, build on, and provide compensation for workers' informal learning activities; and (4) consult regularly and systematically with branch staff to identify learning and support needs. (Contains 46 references.) (MN)
- Published
- 2002
98. What Is Happening to Training? What the ABS Training Surveys Tell Us. Working Paper.
- Author
-
Monash Univ., Clayton, Victoria (Australia). Centre for the Economics of Education and Training. and Long, Michael
- Abstract
The extent of employer-supported education and training in Australia was examined by analyzing data from the Training Expenditure Surveys (TES), which gathered information from firms, and the Surveys of Education and Training Experience (SETE), which gathered information from workers. The TES showed an approximately 10% decline in the hours of external training provided by employers from 1993 to 1996, whereas the SETE showed a more than 80% increase in the hours of employer-supported external training received by workers over a similar period. The different results yielded by the two surveys were attributed to the different definitions of external training in the two surveys and the different behavior of the components of external education and training. The SETE showed a substantial expansion of external training but a decline in the level of employer support for education. However, because the apparent expansion in external training has occurred through an increase in employer support for fees and materials rather than through provision of paid study leave, participation in employer-supported external training may well have increased while the hours of training for which employees are paid by employers has declined. Thus, the findings of TES and SETE do not negate one another. (MN)
- Published
- 2002
99. Data Collection and Use in Schools. PREL Briefing Paper.
- Author
-
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, Honolulu, HI. and Farnsworth, Chenoa
- Abstract
This report summarizes the problems schools are encountering as they try to use data to gauge the effectiveness of standards-based education, accountability efforts, and school reform. It provides an overview of the education market, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of available software, and describes systems used by 19 states. The article looks at the use of technology in schools and the market opportunities that are developing as more school systems are recognizing the importance of administration software. It compares the various types of software applications that are available in the administrative technology market, most of which can be categorized as student-information systems, school-administrative systems, or classroom-management tools. These kinds of software are being driven by macro trends resulting from the need to evaluate changes in standards, accountability, school improvement, and technology. The report states that this market reality will push school administrators toward the use of products that can meet all these needs in one streamlined system. It discusses some of the companies that dominate the market and supplies the names of some of the smaller companies that offer student-information systems. The report concludes with a short review of the states that use integrated administrative software. (Contains 17 references.) (RJM)
- Published
- 2002
100. Brief 12: Global Citizenship--A Role for Higher Education. New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications. Paper 36
- Author
-
University of Massachusetts, Boston. New England Resource Center for Higher Education (NERCHE)
- Abstract
Immediately after the events of September 11, the US was stunned by horror and disbelief, angry at the perpetrators of such awful violence, puzzled by the country's inability to recognize itself in the eyes of the world, and eager to learn more about other cultures from which it felt so alien. Our college campuses reflected this range of responses. At their first meetings of the academic year, members of NERCHE's Think Tanks, who represent faculty and administrators in New England, and SAGES (Senior Academics Guiding Educational Strategies), retired presidents and provosts, described their reactions and the range of responses campus.
- Published
- 2002
Discovery Service for Jio Institute Digital Library
For full access to our library's resources, please sign in.