Every U.S. state and the District of Columbia maintain a system to collect and store education data. These systems vary widely in their scope and sophistication -- and, by extension, in their ability to provide information that can guide decision-making. Most states have developed statewide longitudinal data systems, which establish formal…

Accurately evaluating what works -- and what doesn't -- to improve student progression through higher education requires the robust use of reliable data. States play a pivotal role in compiling and using data to empower student choice, spur continuous institutional and system improvement, and develop evidence-based solutions that promote college…

This paper reports on a study about how the mathematics textbook was perceived and used by the teacher in the context of a calculus part of a basic mathematics course for first-year engineering students. The focus was on the teacher's choices and the use of definitions, examples and exercises in a sequence of lectures introducing the derivative…

Communities face powerful challenges that require powerful solutions: a high-school dropout epidemic, youth unemployment, teen pregnancy. In an era of limited resources, those solutions must help communities to achieve more with less. A new kind of community collaborative--an approach that aspires to significant community-wide progress by…

This pamphlet represents the third in a six-part series describing the Management Organization Systems Technique (MOST), developed at Wayne County Community College, whose purpose is to determine the goals and objectives of a college and to assist in their attainment and evaluation. The information sub-system is designed to collect, process and…

This handbook is designed to provide school decision makers with a global view of how assessment programs for home study schools are developed. Outcomes assessment (OA) is a required element for recognition by the National Home Study Council Accrediting Committee and hence for member schools. This handbook is designed to enable program developers…

The focus of this paper is on the development of a model for assessing community educational needs, referred to as the Needs Assessment Project (NAP). The model's primary purpose is to classify, organize, and assign priority to community needs, so that the educational system can assign these needs to the proper administrative unit for changes to…

One of the keys to successfully identifying innovation configurations is to develop a clear understanding and description of innovation components. The first step requires the identification of operational components. Secondly, it is important to observe the innovation in use and to interview users. The final steps involve constructing a checklist…

This report provides an information base about federally funded teacher center projects. The information was collected between January 1 and August 31, 1980 from 37 federally funded teacher center projects. During this eight month period, 247 structured telephone interviews were conducted. Three major categories of questions provided the focus for…

An issues-oriented framework for selecting data to support typical state-level planning analyses is presented. Attention is focused on questions concerning the planning issues, and the general data requirements required to support a given state's analytical questions and decision requirements. State-level planning issues in postsecondary education…

With some justification, the inability to answer most of the important questions in higher education is due to the lack of necessary information. But careful examination of our many faceted questions suggests that more information may not be the only answer. The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) has found other…

How can the structure of a management system be reviewed? What specific data should be collected and what procedures should be followed? The specific data collection methodology consists of three steps: (1) description of process outputs, procedures, and inputs; (2) evaluation of effectiveness, needs, and priorities for change in the process; and…

This workshop was organized to acquaint State and local officials concerned with distributive education and planning, programing, and budgeting techniques. The workshop was designed to (1) develop an understanding and appreciation for systematic planning and programing techniques, (2) develop an understanding of the social and economic problems…

This issue includes the following nine papers on the theme of collecting and utilizing information on vocational training in Europe: "Information on Vocational Training in the Federal Republic of Germany" (Hardenacke); "Devolved Decision Making in the U.K. Demands Wide Dissemination of Information" (Cowan, Brown);…

The growing interest in human resources development (HRD) is a response to the increasingly competitive business environment which, in turn, has been shaped by such forces as the emergence of global competition, the quickening pace of technological innovation and the reduction of federal regulations in some industries. This monograph seeks to…