Early education leaders--inside and outside of government--are looking for new ways to improve quality, accountability, and efficiency across many different programs serving young children and their families, and they see investment in data systems as a pivotal part of that effort. However, it can be challenging to develop and implement effective…

This monograph describes three types of evaluation that are potentially useful to school-based clinics: needs assessments, process evaluations, and impact evaluations. Two important methodological principles are involved: (1) collecting multiple kinds of data with multiple methods; and (2) collecting comparison data. Student needs can be…

A public utility company uses laser wands to read bar-coded labels on furniture and equipment. The system allows an 80 percent savings of the time required to create reports for inventory control. (MLF)

The Core Data Collection System of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is an automated collection system with interactive edits that runs on IBM-compatible microcomputers. The data collected include information about school districts, schools, school programs, and student characteristics and achievement. This manual…

A procedure called "Services/Requirements Analysis" is proposed as a means of improving input to institutional management information systems. The procedure profiles the office's information needs and limitations and identifies benefit groups, all according to user perceptions and not the assumptions of the technological community. (MSE)

A project was conducted to develop the methods, procedures, standards, and processes to enable adult basic and literacy education programs funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) to submit their student and staff data via computer disk. During the project, the Center for…

This manual provides information on the accountability reports prepared by Miami-Dade Community College for use on federal, state, and local levels. First, an overview is presented of the purposes of the Placement and Follow-Up (P&F) system, uses of the data, and the tasks involved in P&F reporting. The bulk of the manual explains the following…

The document offers guidelines for developing a management by information system for special education services, a system that organizes people, equipment, procedures, and communications to collect and present accurate data that administrators can use to make decisions and to provide information to state and federal governments. Following a…

Directed to local superintendents of schools and local coordinators who desire assistance in developing and implementing student information systems in their districts, this guide summarizes material presented in the Alabama State Department of Education's LEA Basic Data Systems: A Manual of Developmental Activities. It describes Alabama's…

Intended to assist school administrators in developing both student information systems and total information systems, this guide contains suggestions which, when considered in terms of local characteristics and concerns, can be used to create such systems to support administrative decision making, state and federal reporting, guidance, research,…

It is proposed that market research needn't be formal but can be useful. Suggestions include using a variety of existing information sources; conducting focus groups; using readership surveys of school publications; paying attention to the timing of surveys; and sharing results with others who can use it. (MSE)

The Michigan Analysis Network and General Evaluation Report (MANAGER) was developed as a component of the overall Michigan Community College Occupational Education Evaluation System (MCCOEES). Developed for use by college presidents and occupational program administrators and instructors, the handbook describes a six-step process for collecting,…

This policy brief examines issues associated with accurately collecting and reporting placement data for students with disabilities. It notes that existing federal reporting requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and traditional state data systems may actually impede the collection of accurate data regarding the…

This handbook was undertaken in response to the needs expressed by the higher education community for a common language--common data categories and definitions--to describe the human resources of postsecondary education institutions, and is intended as a basic guide to help institutions develop analytically useful databases of faculty and staff to…

Successful college enrollment management requires information about the institution's image, effectiveness of recruiting activities, role of financial aid, student persistence, and alumni success. Enrollment managers must review the literature, develop a performance monitoring system, construct longitudinal cohort tracking files, identify student…