Down syndrome (DS) is a complex condition associated with multiple medical, developmental, and behavioral concerns. A prospective, longitudinal clinical database was integrated into a specialty Down Syndrome Program, with the goals of better understanding the incidence, course, and impact of co-occurring medical, neurodevelopmental, and mental…

This contribution takes a critical perspective on digital school performance platforms (SPP), which today play a key role in US state education monitoring and accountability. Using examples from two different US state education agencies, I provide an analytical disentanglement of some key dimensions of such platforms' enactment and materiality. I…

The recommendations in this brief create a framework for using data effectively to make instructional decisions. The availability of student-level data for educators has pushed forward the movement to strengthen the role of data to guide instruction and improve student learning. While improvements in technology and assessments, as well as recent…

Background: A small but growing body of research evidence suggests that place-based police interventions generate significant crime control gains. While place-based policing strategies have been adopted by a majority of U.S. police departments, very few agencies make a priori commitments to rigorous evaluations. Objective: Recent methodological…

Various procedures, technologies, and products were developed by the Massachusetts Board of Regents and the Massachusetts Community Colleges in implementing the student followup component of the Vocational Education Data System (VEDS). The Board of Regents took the lead in coordinating the VEDS followup study among the 15 state-supported community…

This paper presents the Massachusetts edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's 2008 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook". The 2008 "Yearbook" focuses on how state policies impact the retention of effective new teachers. This policy evaluation is broken down into three areas that encompass 15 goals. Broadly, these goals…

The publication describes the process by which a portion of the Management Information System for Occupational Education (MISOE) Census Data System (CDS) was field-tested in a sample of six Massachusetts schools. It is intended to provide guidelines for those who will be responsible for the planning of statewide implementation of the fully…

This report represents a summary of findings from a research project to determine the availability of data concerning occupationally oriented training and education programs. Part I describes the types of data available regarding education and training programs--what information about which programs and providers is available from what source. It…

The document describes the process and presents the results of a field test of the Management Information System for Occupational Education (MISOE) Census Data System (CDS) Fall Reports. The data system was designed to collect and store basic census data (mandated State and Federal) for all occupational programs in Massachusetts and to meet all of…

The document reports a pilot test of the feasibility of the MISOE Census Data System (CDS) for estimating the costs of individual programs in a regional vocational school setting. The test determined that the data collection forms can be completed by a regional vocational school but that they can be simplified, and the costs of individual programs…