This article provides a conceptual framework for considering both the theoretical and methodological factors that underpin the successful validation of a competency framework. Drawing on educational assessment literature, this article argues that a valid competency framework relates to an interpretive judgement of the credibility of the claims…

This resource has been written specifically for higher education practitioners who are interested in improving students' learning experiences through the process of researching their own practice. We use the term 'higher education practitioners' to describe all who work in universities and who have a stake in students' learning experiences.…

Bullying is one type of violence that threatens a youth's well-being in schools and neighborhoods. The impacts of bullying are felt by individuals, families, schools, and society and may result in youths feeling powerless, intimidated, and humiliated by the aggressive acts of other youth(s). This document is designed as a tool to help…

Annual "Profiles" reports are comprehensive digests of data on education management organizations. Analysis and interpretation of the data in this report are, for the most part, limited to describing general trends over time. The report is intended for a broad audience. Policymakers, educators, school district officials, and school board…

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,…

Policymakers at state and district levels disagree on definitions for terms such as "dropout,""withdrawn,""removed," and "early leaver." Until these terms acquire generally accepted meanings allowing comparisons across school district and state lines, existing information processing technology will be only marginally beneficial. Includes three…

This Guide has been developed to provide a framework for decision makers, school facility managers, and the public to identify a basic set of school facilities data elements, including definitions that will meet their information needs. Chapter 1 describes the purpose, scope, and intended audience for this guide. Chapter 2 describes how to use the…

Reports on the work of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges in helping two-year colleges to define and establish their rates of transfer. Presents the outcomes of 1990 forums where study participants discussed problems and issues in data collection. (DMM)

This manual contains descriptions of all required and optional data elements used by LONESTAR, the computer-based student follow-up and tracking system developed for Texas community colleges. For each element, the following information is provided: (1) element title (i.e., the official name used in all references to the element in tracking system…

Child care quality is not a single dimension, but rather a multidimensional characteristic of programs that support the family in its child-rearing role and programs in which children thrive developmentally, socially, cognitively, physically, and emotionally. At the regulatory and accreditation level, approaches to quality focus on group size,…

This document is an inventory of public and private educational expenditure from an international perspective and sets out the concepts, definitions and procedures useful in accounting for educational expenditure. The monograph defines the field within which expenditure is to be observed; details the necessary expenditure data to be collected from…

Describes difficulties in locating accurate data on child care workers: numbers, occupational categories, salaries, differences in education and experience, and data on enrollment in training programs and final job choices. Advocates the formation of a review panel to guide agencies' efforts to clarify their current data collection systems. (KS)

In statistical terms, transfer rates require two components: a numerator that represents community college students who transfer and a denominator that approximates the pool of potential transfer students. The California Task Force adopted a set of criteria to judge the appropriateness of prospective pairs of numerators and denominators. Its form…

Maintains that introductory sociology courses rely on a preponderance of jargon that obfuscates the nature of the discipline. Advocates communicating the nature of sociology by emphasizing its three main approaches: structural, systematic, and critical. Suggests that religious affiliation and economic status influence ability to think…

This manual outlines and explains procedures for conducting a study of the exact content and requirements of jobs in order to develop an information base for students to use in evaluating their suitability for given jobs. Addressed in the first half of the guide are the following topics: the meaning of the term job study, the image of a job,…