Scholars and practitioners in the field of international and comparative education often need information about recent educational events related to the topics they are currently investigating. In pursuing their research, those who are relatively new to the task may wonder which sources will most readily provide data, analyses, or interpretations…

Examines the methodology of a comparative study by Tuppen and Deutrom of student performance in Third World countries and challenges its conclusions by providing a rationale for redefining retentivity as the proportion of the original enrollment retained rather than the proportion of the age group enrolled. (MM)

Reviews materials developed by the now-defunct Russian President's Coordinating Committee for Handicapped Affairs. Reveals a system barely meeting the needs of its handicapped citizens and hampered by inadequate accounting and reporting. Provides a broad range of information on the handicapped in Russia based on approximate data. (MJP)

Describes procedures needed to analyze large-scale databases. Presents two examples of how French educational researchers have utilized data from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) studies of mathematics and reading literacy. Includes one table and three figures illustrating these techniques. (CFR)