A graduation efficiency index for colleges and universities is computed by subtracting transfer credits from minimum degree credit requirements, dividing remainder by the sum of a student's enrollment census day credits. Analysis of results for University of Washington bachelor's degree recipients, show nontransfers graduated with more efficiency…

The National Longitudinal Study of the Class of 1972 represents a rich data source on life events experienced by a national sample of U.S. students from the time they left school until just after their thirtieth birthdays. Using this public-use source for other than educational research is discussed. (SLD)

Analyzes 60 sociology doctoral programs from 1975 through 1980. Measures per capita and gross productivity of each department. Shows that conventional assessment measures contain deficiencies. Documents a tendency for conflict between productivity and graduate education. Includes recommendations for future assessments that would measure not only…

Discusses the challenge of inclusivity in collaborative research projects. Presents researchers' motivations for more inclusive research methods and reflects on the difficulties and rewards they face. Describes the literacy research project and inclusivity issues among program administrators, teachers, and students. (34 citations) (VWC)

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is a comprehensive nationwide study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics to determine how students and their families pay for postsecondary education and to describe some demographic and other characteristics of those enrolled. The study is based on a nationally…

The report considers the interaction of trends in information technology and trends in research practices and the policy implications for archives. The information is divided into 4 sections. The first section, an "Overview of Information Technology Trends," discusses end-user computing, which includes ubiquitous computing, end-user…

Recent investigations of the extent to which students with disabilities are allowed to participate in major national data collections used in measurement-driven education reform suggest that 40 to 50 percent of students with disabilities are typically excluded from major assessments, although they are included to a greater degree in assessments…

In the spring of 1991 the first full-scale National Household Education Survey (NHES:91) was conducted for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The NHES:91 was a national random digit dial telephone survey of about 14,000 parents of 3- to 8-year-old children concerning the educational experiences of young children. A reinterview…

The purpose, design, and key findings of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) are discussed. The SASS is a triennial set of unified surveys conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. In conjunction with a teacher follow-up survey, the SASS profiles the nation's elementary school and secondary school teaching force and analyzes…

The longitudinal analysis population of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) is used to produce descriptive findings about the transition to high school of eighth grade students. An overview summarizes some of the policy issues of the study and sketches the research design and samples. First, longitudinal data are used to…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District conducts survey research as a means of collecting information from people affected by district policies and programs. Some general results are presented for the following surveys: (1) the School Climate Survey; (2) the Office of Research and Evaluation Coordinated Survey; and (3) the Former Student…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), initiated in 1987-88, was conducted in 1990-91 to provide data on the nation's elementary and secondary school teaching force, aspects of teacher supply and demand, teacher workplace conditions, characteristics of school administrators, and school policies and practices. The sample for the 1990-91 survey…

This paper examines whether failure to control for family background, aptitude, high school quality, high school curriculum, and community characteristics leads to bias in estimates of the economic return resulting from postsecondary education. High school specific fixed effects were used to control for all observed and unobserved characteristics…

A case study in program evaluation that demonstrates the effectiveness of qualitative research methods is presented. Over a 5-year period, the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities in Ohio offered a baccalaureate program (University Without Walls) to local employees of a national manufacturing firm. The institutional research office…

To help classify and map the field of administrative inservice, five generic administrative inservice models may be identified and their strengths and weaknesses determined based on what is known about effective inservice practices. The models are a traditional model, institutes, competency-based programs, the academy, and networking. A review of…