The application of educational research to practice remains an issue of concern, and yet there has been relatively little consideration of this in relation to reviews of research. While the professional user review hitherto represents the most relevant approach, this involves users applying the findings of an earlier review rather than carrying…

Fueled by a culture fascinated by numbers and increased accountability, data-driven instruction has become a mighty force as it joins with the tools of technology to handle the mammoth task of gathering, sorting, analyzing, and synthesizing data. Success stories from districts all over the country attest to the positive results of implementing…

This handbook is designed to help beginning evaluators of teacher recruitment programs. It addresses the information and assessment needs of teacher recruitment programs. It takes a hands-on approach and includes worksheets and instructions for using them. After presenting tips for getting started, the handbook offers eight steps to successful…

Students with severe/profound mental retardation performed functional tasks under training or probe conditions. Analysis of nine students' records indicated that students do not react to probe conditions as if they were extinction conditions; training data do not consistently reflect performance under probe conditions; and data collected under…

Describes a methodology for student involvement in courseware evaluation and for utilizing student reactions in purchasing and implementation decisions. The evaluation forms used in a survey of 2,308 Indiana students are presented, and the results of that survey are discussed. (18 references) (CLB)

Explains how rubrics can be used to assess children's understanding of chance and data concepts. Encounters unexpected results besides assessing chance and data outcomes. (ASK)

This article provides ideas on how to conduct alumni telephone surveys: (1) use the information gathered; (2) implement a survey; (3) develop appropriate questions; (4) test a survey instrument; (5) train interviewers; (6) collect the data; (7) analyze the results; (8) report the results; and (9) use the results to take action. (MDM)

This article provides advice on how to plan and conduct an alumni census through the mail, drawing on the experiences of Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts, which undertook such a survey in 1992. It focuses on costs, information needs, questionnaire design, mailing considerations, reporting the results, and expected response rates.…

The use of factor analysis in examining the dimensionality of language tests is questioned and found to be problematic because it has a number of weak points which make it possible to manipulate results. Some of these weaknesses occur in the examinee selection sample, test selection, and the methods of extraction and rotation chosen. The use of…

Explains how many of the narratives told by children are mapped onto frameworks carried in long-term memory. Assessment methods that speech-language pathologists can use to determine whether a child can use narrative frameworks and how to explain the assessment results are discussed. (Author/CR)

Discusses the relationship between effective organizational communication and specific library contexts and reviews the historical development of communication audits as a means of studying communication effectiveness. The generic structure of such audits is described and two models are presented in detail, including techniques for gathering and…

This booklet for trustees of higher education institutions offers guidelines to help trustees understand the institution's financial statements. Individual sections describe the three major financial statements and cover topics such as: (1) standards of the Financial Accounting Standards Board; (2) the "statement of financial position,"…

This book offers guidelines for action research, a process in which teachers experiment with various strategies at the classroom level. Action research is the process of systematically evaluating the consequences of educational decisions and adjusting practices to maximize effectiveness. Essentially the examination of one's own practice, it…

Identifies situations in which there is disparity between coefficients calculated from aggregate versus individual level data. Determines the magnitudes of these discrepancies, and discusses the implications for test score reporting and policy decisions based in whole or in part on the aggregate level relationships and discrepancies identified.…

Reports the rationale, design, implementation, and results of an examination of the impact of online subject catalogs on users by comparing their behaviors before and after catalog installation. Evaluation criteria included volume of use, types of searches, use of other catalogs, search time, user satisfaction, and need for assistance. (CLB)