Whether the goal is to identify and describe trends and variation in populations, create new measures of key phenomena, or describe samples in studies aimed at identifying causal effects, description plays a critical role in the scientific process in general and education research in particular. Descriptive analysis identifies patterns in data to…

Educational technology products offer potentially effective means of supporting teaching and learning in K-12 classrooms. But for any given instructional need, there are likely to be numerous product options available for purchasing. What can school districts do to help ensure that good selections are made? In a recent, comprehensive study of…

This guide is addressed to policy officials, program providers, and researchers who are seeking to: (1) identify and implement social programs backed by valid evidence of effectiveness; or (2) sponsor or conduct an evaluation to determine whether a program is effective. The guide provides a brief overview of which studies can produce valid…

Although millions of dollars and weeks of instructional time are spent nationally on testing students, educators often have little information on how to choose appropriate assessments of adolescent reading for informing instruction. This guide is designed to meet that need, by drawing together evidence about nine of the most commonly-used,…

This guide is designed to help districts and schools evaluate reform efforts related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including School Improvement Grants. It includes practical, how-to tips for conducting program evaluations, whether one takes a "do-it-yourself" approach or seeks outside assistance to evaluate reform…

The purpose of this Guide is to advise researchers, policymakers, and others on when it is possible to conduct a high-quality randomized controlled trial in education at reduced cost. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are recognized as the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention (i.e., program or practice) in…

Action research, explored in this book, is a seven-step process for improving teaching and learning in classrooms at all levels. Through practical examples, research tools, and easy-to-follow implementation strategies, this book guides readers through the action research process. The chapters are: (1) "What Is Action Research?"; (2) "How Is Action…

The paper addresses issues in special education program evaluation. Introductory information examines the mandate for state monitoring under P.L. 94-142, The Education For All Handicapped Children Act, and reviews state monitoring approaches undertaken in Nebraska, Missouri, and North Carolina. A nine-step procedure designed to help policymakers…

Discusses the advantages and limitations of three enrollment projection techniques: (1) preschool census, (2) regression line, and (3) entry-grade to live birth ratio. Four tables illustrate the methods. (MLF)

The goal of this primer is to help policymakers and other interested individuals answer three big questions: (1) What does the research say? (2) Is the research trustworthy? (3) How can the research be used to guide policy? Answering these questions will help policymakers: (1) make evidenced-based decisions about education policies; (2) gain a…

Administrators of the fastest growing school district in Illinois have coped with enrollment planning. In addition to enrollment projection techniques, school staff attend city and county planning meetings and also count the number of housing units occupied and under construction. (MLF)

Small school districts have little leeway in predicting school enrollment. The basic tool of cohort survival technique can be augmented with the district census study and strategically located volunteers to monitor move-ins and move-outs within an assigned geographic area of the school district. (MLF)

Noting that having research evidence to recommend or refute specific policy choices is especially relevant in this era of increased demand for accountability in human services and government, this fact sheet details 10 criteria with which to evaluate the worth of research reports. The 10 criteria or considerations are: (1) consider the source; (2)…

This manual provides guidance and documentation for users of the public release data for the student component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The general aim of NELS, a continuing long-term project, is to study the educational, vocational, and personal development of students at various grades and the factors that…

The National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) is a cooperative of state, local, and federal education agencies. The goal of Forum activities is to improve the quality of education data gathered for use by policymakers and programmatic decision-makers. One approach to furthering this goal has been to pool the collective experiences of Forum…