Needs sensing is any type of systematic assessment of needs ranging from formal data collection through surveys to a more informal use of expert opinion through advisory groups. It is especially difficult to use systematically collected, data-based needs in research and development (R & D) organizations because they typically: (1) have the…

This paper documents a successful methodology for the validation of data in general and for evaluating educational finance data in particular. The report addresses the errors found as a result of the independent completion of Part B-1 of the Elementary-Secondary General Information System (ELSEGIS)--the Local Education Agency Fiscal Report. This…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a congressionally mandated national assessment program, can provide valuable data to educational policy makers in Massachusetts and other New England states concerning the status of their educational reform initiatives and performance standards. The three purposes of this paper are: (1) to…

Changes initiated by the United States Bureau of the Census to data collection on family relationships in the decennial census of the population, the Current Population Survey, and the Survey of Income and Program Participation are reviewed. In the last 5 years, innovations have centered on developing new approaches to identifying the array of…

A description is given of a college course in survey research and attitudinal measurement offered by the School of Education at the University of Louisville. The graduate level course focuses on the principles of social research; survey research methods; and data analysis, interpretation, and application. National survey data are used to teach all…

This paper reviews the reasons that led to the Congressional mandate in 1976 for a national study of sex discrimination and stereotyping in vocational education and of the progress being made to reduce existing inequities and discusses the goals and methodology of the study, which is presently being conducted. First, in an introduction to the…

A study was conducted to develop some understanding of how social experience might be related to public expectations of rights to privacy. A telephone questionnaire was developed which sought information about respondent knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding privacy and personal information. A national survey of adults over the age of 18…

In survey research, nonresponse has been one of the major concerns about survey accuracy and validity. A case in point is the increasing use of surveys in mass communications research; much previous research has dealt with nonresponse among the general public, but little is known about nonresponse in special subgroups in the population where any…

The use of formal written standards as a way to improve a product or service is discussed and illustrated by an analysis of the planned development of standards for educational data reporting. The Cooperative Educational Data Collection and Reporting Standards (CEDCARS) project is intended to apply to a wide range of educational data collection…

Since 1969 the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has conducted annual assessments to determine, in the language of the current legislation, "the performance of children and young adults in the basic skills of reading, mathematics and communications" and to "report data periodically on changes in the knowledge and…

This study analyzed 13 national datasets and evaluated their utility for addressing policy questions concerning college faculty availability (such as minority hiring, affirmative action, supply and demand in specific disciplines) and the overproduction of Ph.D.s. Each dataset was evaluated for its utility in modeling faculty availability. Also…

Procedures used in securing the cooperation of states and schools for the 1990 Trial State Assessment Program (TSAP) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are described. These include procedures for: (1) the 1989 Field Test; (2) the training of local administrators and quality control monitors; and (3) scoring and processing…

Some issues in defining dropouts and reporting information about them are explored, with reference to the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey of the National Center for Education Statistics. There has not been any uniform national count of how many students leave school, and no commonly accepted definition has been developed that allows a number to…

Problems associated with the use of the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) data to make institutional comparisons are discussed. It is noted that information collected by HEGIS includes data on enrollment, degrees, finances, employees, libraries, and physical facilities. Attention is directed to the following problems with the…

Information on opportunity to learn can be collected in national surveys primarily in terms of the written curriculum or the real curriculum (what is actually taught). Questions of this sort are asked in several national surveys, with the most comprehensive being in the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988. Other national surveys for…