Since its inception, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has been committed to the practice of documenting its statistical methods for its customers and of seeking to avoid misinterpretation of its published data. The reason for this policy is to assure customers that proper statistical standards and techniques have been observed,…

This report deals with cognitive research conducted on the Teacher Listing Form (TLF) of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics. The SASS is a set of 10 self-administered questionnaires designed to provide information on all aspects of the school system. The TLF is the first of the 10 surveys, and is…

This report summarizes tasks undertaken to assess the feasibility of a longitudinal analysis of elementary and secondary schools. The initial objective was to see if it was technically possible to analyze overlap samples of schools from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) to produce substantive findings. Over the course of the project various…

This paper proposes a framework for discussing the objectives and content of the next Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) in school year 1999-2000. The framework focuses on school reform and the information SASS can collect to inform the United States about school reform efforts. Major reform agenda and expert opinion are reviewed, and the issues…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the Teacher Followup Survey (TFS) have been administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1987-88, 1990-92, and 1993-95. The SASS is a large-scale survey of educational institutions in the United States. The TFS is conducted the year following the SASS to obtain more information…

This paper addresses issues related to the possible inclusion of items in the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) to measure instructional practices and teaching effectiveness. The SASS is a national survey of schools and teachers conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. This report explores the purposes that can be served by…

This paper presents results of a review of mail survey response literature and provides recommendations for the application of some response-enhancing techniques to the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics. The SASS is an integrated set of surveys sponsored by the NCES and conducted by the Bureau of…

A shortage of teachers to staff primary and secondary schools is a common occurrence internationally. The fact of, or potential for, teacher shortages is a major consideration in any nation's aspirations of attaining, or maintaining, an educational system of high quality. To study and understand the nature of teacher shortages, it is first…

The papers were presented at the Social Statistics Section, the Government Statistics Section, and the Section on Survey Research Methods. The following papers are included in the Social Statistics Section and Government Statistics Section, "Overcoming the Bureaucratic Paradigm: Memorial Session in Honor of Roger Herriot": "1995…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) has made it possible to develop comprehensive profiles of the nation's public and private schools and teachers and principals and to study issues of teacher supply and demand. The planned switch to a 5-year cycle of data collection provides a good time to re-examine the survey's design. This paper focuses on…

One prospect for the future of the Schools and Staffing Survey of the National Center for Data Collection is to continue in the direction set by its three previous rounds of surveys. Another approach, the one recommended in this paper, is to make the SASS the main vehicle of NCES for organizational information about U.S. schools from kindergarten…

This profile presents and summarizes available information about the quality of data from the five surveys that comprise the SASS, along with background material on the survey design and procedures for the following: (1) School Survey; (2) School Administrator Survey; (3) Teacher Demand and Shortage Survey; (4) Teacher Survey; and (5) Teacher…

This paper outlines an agenda of research on teachers and schooling utilizing the National Center for Education Statistics Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS focuses on teachers and schools, and consists of linked surveys of schools, districts, principals, and teachers. The primary purpose of this paper is to revisit the genesis of SASS in…

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The SASS is a set of integrated self-administered surveys designed to obtain national information on all aspects of the school system. The Teacher Listing Form (TLF) is the first in the SASS series. It is sent to the…

A 1994 report, "Quality Profile for SASS, Aspects of the Quality of Data in the Schools and Staffing Surveys (SASS)," presented and summarized the available information about the quality of the data from the five surveys that made up the SASS in its first two rounds of data collection (1987-1988 and 1990-1991). This report updates the…