This project assesses the feasibility of creating a voluntary, nationwide data dictionary that can be used to standardize the reporting of postsecondary accountability reporting requirements for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (otherwise known as Perkins IV). Variables, field codes, and programming instructions,…

States have made dramatic progress in the past few years in implementing longitudinal data systems (LDS) to improve student achievement. These systems collect and house student educational data that make it easy for policymakers and practitioners to access and use it for reporting, policymaking and decision making. So much has happened in states…

While states have made tremendous progress building the capacity to collect longitudinal data, developing the systems and practices to tap into P-20W data remains a nascent effort in most states. This primer aims to provide policymakers with information and recommendations to propel states' progress toward using P-20W data to prepare…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Two Omnibus Bills and a Partridge in a Pear Tree?: Final Vote on Education Appropriations Bill Could Come Before…

This manual outlines the prescribed format and content of an institutional author record card, which forms the basis of the CARISPLAN (Caribbean Information System for Economic and Social Planning) Institutional Author Authority File used in conjunction with the databases of the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA).…

Asserting that few teachers can provide examples of how they actually used educational research to shape an instructional decision, this position paper argues that as presently structured, the educational research institution does not appear to be effective in communicating products of its work to practitioners. The paper examines obvious barriers…

Major databases and data collection efforts related to postsecondary education are described. Database selection was limited to data that was national in scope, of broad interest, and timely (after 1972). Approximately 95 databases are covered, each of a two-page abstract that describes the subject matter and scope of the database, the data…

Major databases and data collection efforts related to postsecondary education are described. Database selection was limited to data that was national in scope, of broad interest, and timely (after 1970). Over 75 databases are covered, each on a two-page abstract that describes subject matter and scope of the database, the data collection method,…

This study compiled descriptive information about what states are doing or planning to do with early intervention data systems, a component of early intervention systems as specified in Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The study examined the uses of data systems in eight states: Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,…

To help determine the future of the Bibliographic Service Development Program (BSDP), the Council on Library Resources (CLR) sponsored a conference to examine bibliographic services for library users with emphasis on their needs. The 32 participants included invited speakers, research library administrators, foundation officers, network and…

A series of projects were conducted in Maryland as part of an effort to develop a valid and reliable student database for planning, decision making, and Vocational Education Data System reporting; and a systematic and objective procedure to evaluate the quality of occupational programs in Maryland's community colleges. The projects had three…

Discusses the addition of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration database to the National Science Foundation's NSFnet data communication network. Outlines the history of databases in the United States and enumerates proposed upgrades from a new Office of Science and Technology policy report. (TW)

This study identified alternatives for the design, implementation, and operation of a national information management system in multicultural education resources and materials and assessed the feasibility of implementing such a database. Sources of information for the study were potential users of the system, experts in information management and…

This report comprises edited versions of the presentations from the 17 participants in a conference under the sponsoreship of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. The conference was designed to enable policy-makers, educators, and business people to share perspectives on the most effective methods for identifying and collecting data that…

Despite technological development allowing fast identification of specific citations and information sources, there is still a significant time lag in obtaining documents not available in a given university library system. In an effort to improve the speed and to identify cost effective means of obtaining documents through interlibrary loan, this…