This guide provides an introduction to the use of microcomputers with qualitative data. It is deliberately non-specific and rudimentary in order to be of maximum benefit to the widest possible audience of beginning microcomputer users who wish to analyze their data using software that is not specifically designed for qualitative data analysis. The…

Describes the use of online accounting systems as a means of integrating diverse data and providing different levels of analysis for managers. An appendix provides examples of reports produced by online systems. (CLB)

A tracking system which monitors Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) mentally retarded students leaving the school system to make their transition to adult life, was developed to: (1) enhance the prospects for successful follow-up; (2) enable program planners to conduct systematic inquiries regarding the abilities, living arrangements, and work…

Discusses data warehousing, which provides information more fully responsive to local, state, and federal data needs. Such a system allows educators to generate reports and analyses that supply information, provide accountability, explore relationships among different kinds of data, and inform decision-makers. (Contains one figure and eight…

Requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act present school districts with a massive lesson in data-driven decision-making. Technology companies offer data-management tools that organize student information from state tests. Offers districts advice in choosing a technology provider. (MLF)