A study examined the appropriateness of two methods for relating the enhanced American College Testing Program (ACT) Assessment Composite and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) total scores: equipercentile concordance and regression. Study results, potential inaccuracies, and the usefulness of institutional concordances based on their own data are…

This project examined the use of quantitative statistical models to bridge the gap between commonly available university data and knowledge for decision making. A method using a multivariate statistical model is discussed in the context of academic quality in higher education. A "problem-oriented" data base designed to study quality and…

Data and information needs of college administrators are discussed, along with the uses of information to support decisionmaking. Difficulties in applying information technology to the administration of higher education are briefly reviewed. Data and information are discussed both in definitional and functional terms. Data are defined as either…

This report examines trends in the characteristics of the U.S. language minority population from 1979 through 1999. It examines changes in the numbers and proportion of the language minority population compared to the total U.S. population 5 to 24 years old and also discusses changes in the language minority population by language subgroups and…

This is part 1 of a 3-part report on a survey conducted in Fall 1999 of salaries and wages in public schools. The purpose of the survey is to provide school administrators and others concerned with the determination of salaries and wages for public-school personnel with data useful in comparing employee compensation in school systems of similar…

This is part 2 of a 3-part report on a survey conducted in Fall 1999 of salaries and wages in public schools. The purpose of the survey is to provide school administrators and others concerned with the determination of salaries and wages for public-school personnel with data useful in comparing employee compensation in school systems of similar…

Presents three different, complementary statistical models for predicting faculty tenure dynamics, using data from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Massachusetts). The difference equation model exactly describes future behavior but requires complete specification. The Markov-chain model can predict the full life-cycle of tenure from initial age…

Analyzes the course evaluations of 323 geography graduates of British Universities 6 years after graduation. Finds that 25 percent would not repeat their choice of a geography degree; and those most satisfied had excelled in their degree and used it to find interesting, well-paying jobs. Relates the findings' consequences to market pressures on…

A study at the University of Tennessee Knoxville used mixed-effect structural equation models incorporating latent variables as an alternative to conventional methods of analyzing college students' (n=722) first-year-to-senior academic gains. Results indicate, contrary to previous analysis, that coursework and student characteristics interact to…

Modifications to current methods of calculating and reporting financial ratios are outlined for college managers. The modified ratios, felt to be more realistic, are illustrated with applications in three areas: (1) student revenues; (2) endowment and other investment income; and (3) public and private gifts, grants, and contracts revenue. (MSE)

A study examined the economic relationship between growth in dentistry and supply/demand factors. Output, or real per capita dental expenditures, is seen as a function of consumer income, dental insurance, and dentist supply. Analysis indicates a significant relationship between dental sector growth and economic market factors, including growth in…

Compa-ratio, a technique used in diverse ways in the corporate sector, was used to analyze gender bias in faculty salaries at one university. Results, compared with those derived from two multiple regression analyses of the same data, suggest that the technique is adaptable for higher education and easily understood by administrators and faculty.…

Presents three categories of approaches to assess the impact of college supplemental instruction (SI) programs on an institution: anecdotal information; descriptive statistics; and inferential statistics. For SI programs required to justify their existence, these methods include a range of assessment devices from simple testimony to rigorous…

Describes how the State University of New York, using large databases and regression techniques, has developed several coordinated, comprehensive efforts to evaluate and project current and future enrollments. One requires decomposition of the student population into mutually exclusive subgroups. The other, superior, approach uses logistic…

Using the data for elementary, junior high, and senior high principals collected in the National Survey of Salaries and Wages in Public Schools, 1982-83, this report provides an analysis of the various methods used by school systems to structure salary schedules for principals, the various provisions of these schedules, and the levels of dollar…