This project assesses the feasibility of creating a voluntary, nationwide data dictionary that can be used to standardize the reporting of postsecondary accountability reporting requirements for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (otherwise known as Perkins IV). Variables, field codes, and programming instructions,…

This article provides an innovative meta-framework comprising strategies designed to guide qualitative data collection in the 21st century. We present a meta-framework comprising strategies for collecting data from interviews, focus groups, observations, and documents/material culture. We present a template for collecting nonverbal data during…

This chapter presents a sophisticated approach for tracking student cohorts from entry through departure within an institution. It describes how a researcher can create a student tracking model to perform longitudinal research on student cohorts. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

This monograph describes three types of evaluation that are potentially useful to school-based clinics: needs assessments, process evaluations, and impact evaluations. Two important methodological principles are involved: (1) collecting multiple kinds of data with multiple methods; and (2) collecting comparison data. Student needs can be…

An automated management information system was developed for planning and scheduling unit training in a U.S. Army infantry division. The primary goal of the project was to test the feasibility of the concept for a computer-based management information system. Specific objectives were to integrate information on personnel, training, and logistics…

The State of Iowa conducted several higher education inventory studies in an effort to identify strategies and priorities for the future. The Long Range Strategic Planning Study, the first of the studies to be undertaken, was charged with reviewing all academic programs, identifying program strengths, and making recommendations for redesigning the…

The instructional information system (IIS), a method by which instructionally relevant information can be collected, stored, processed, and reported to various users in a timely manner, has considerable potential to improve instruction. To better identify the circumstances in which the IIS will succeed, it is necessary to know more about how…

The policy papers included in this package address various facets of the topic of data-based accountability for education in California. Guy Benveniste of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Education explores the underlying issue of accountability and describes the implications of different types of accountability measures. In…

This manual provides information on the accountability reports prepared by Miami-Dade Community College for use on federal, state, and local levels. First, an overview is presented of the purposes of the Placement and Follow-Up (P&F) system, uses of the data, and the tasks involved in P&F reporting. The bulk of the manual explains the following…

This document reports on the design and development of a comprehensive longitudinal monitoring system that allows for the identification of at-risk students and the evaluation of district programs and services by one high school and five elementary school districts in California and the School of Education at San Jose State University. The goal of…

The components of existing district instructional information systems are identified and illustrated by examples from field studies and descriptions of work with two districts in defining their instructional information systems and assigning costs. Instructional information systems are loosely organized methods of providing past and present…

A rationale for school-based evaluation, criteria for a sensible evaluation and assessment system, and a systematic process for implementing an evaluation and assessment system are presented. School-based evaluation can be used as a management tool and a means of improving aspects of teaching. Sensible evaluation must be aligned with school goals,…

A step-by-step approach is provided for developing an environmental scanning system for colleges and universities to assist them in planning for the future. The objectives of such a system are to detect social, scientific, economic, technical, and political interactions important to the organization; define potential threats and opportunities from…

This paper is based on information related to the use of computers in special education within California, and on the experiences of the San Juan Unified School District in using computer information for special education research, evaluation and planning. The majority of special education planning agencies in California have some type of…

An evaluation system which was used to monitor the progress of resident physicians in the Family Practice Residency at the University of North Carolina is discussed. The system was designed as an information management system which reflects both broad philosophical principles and goals as well as specific behavioral objectives. The three major…