This report focuses on students who are underrepresented in the high academic achievement pool by calling attention to the important role that relational data management systems can play in educational decision making, particularly with regard to how they can be applied to closing the academic achievement gap. After explaining the need for data…

With accurate information, educators are better able to make effective decisions. Besides being used to assess student performance, a complete program of data collection and use can also show educators how management skills, individual learning styles, and other elements affect student achievement. This digest provides an overview of how…

Few higher education institutions provide systematic information for high schools beyond what is involved in the application/admissions process. The Northern Michigan University (NMU) High School Feedback System was designed to meet the needs expressed by high school personnel in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for increased frequency, quantity,…

This brief examines issues raised by the No Child Left Behind Act critical to long-term success of states' reforms. These issues include building a coherent testing program (lead with standards, not tests, and ensure the quality of all tests, particularly their alignment with state standards); managing trade-offs between high expectations and high…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has been collecting data on student achievement since 1969. It currently maintains three different assessments: long-term trends, cross-sectional national, and cross-sectional state-by-state data. Although the data are available to researchers outside the Federal Government, limited use has…