"The Forum Guide to Strategies for Education Data Collection and Reporting (SEDCAR)" was created to provide timely and useful best practices for education agencies that are interested in designing and implementing a strategy for data collection and reporting, focusing on these as key elements of the larger data process. It builds upon…

This guide is designed to help researchers make sure that their research reports include enough information about study measures so that readers can assess the quality of the study's methods and results. The guide also provides examples of write-ups about measures and suggests resources for learning more about these topics. The guide assumes…

Written by a social worker for social work students, this is a nuts and bolts guide to statistics that presents complex calculations and concepts in clear, easy-to-understand language. It includes numerous examples, data sets, and issues that students will encounter in social work practice. The first section introduces basic concepts and terms to…

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,…

The Standard for Vocational Education and Training (VET) financial data offers a nationally consistent standard for the collection, reporting and analysis of the public vocational education and training system information throughout Australia. It forms part of the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical…

Principles that institutional researchers should follow are discussed. The most important dictate is to present decision-makers the bare minimum of information necessary for the task; the material should be simple, short, and succinct. A report to assist decision-makers should not include extensive supporting documentation. The first step is to…

A detailed examination of the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) data base--its content, development, and past and potential uses for researchers--is presented. Because knowledge of the data elements is crucial for successful secondary analysis, procedures for collecting needed information on the data in HEGIS are suggested. (BS)

Since research conclusions derived from inappropriate statistical methodologies can lack accuracy, the article describes a technique appropriate to the heterogeneity of special needs groups in which subjects are assigned to fairly homogeneous subgroups. The technique is related to research in reading with this population. (DB)

Suggestions are made on effective presentations by evaluators of research studies to audiences who are not statisticians. Examples of effective presentation methods are given: analogies in presenting statistics; graphs or pictorial presentations; summaries to highlight findings; concise reports based on a television newscast style; and judicial…

"Educators Resource Directory" is designed to provide both educators and education professionals with immediate access to a unique compilation of over 6,500 educational resources and over 130 tables and charts of education statistics and rankings. It would take many hours of searching through multiple resources to uncover all the…

Provides a conceptual basis for understanding factor analysis as an analytical technique. Illustrates the basic concepts of factor analysis through Edward L. Rainbow's data from a study of variables influencing students' musical aptitude. Suggests that this technique is most appropriate in music applications where the interrelationships between…

This document outlines the methodology to be used for analyzing and reporting data collected through questionnaires at the various libraries of the University of California in April and May of 1982, as the second phase of an online public access catalog (OPAC) evaluation project. It is noted that the project was designed to enable systems…

Guidelines are offered to institutional researchers and planning analysts for presenting research results in formats and levels of sophistication that are accessible to top management. Fundamental principles include: (1) know what is needed; (2) know when the information is needed; (3) match format to analytical sophistication and learning…

The data collected in higher education research are not always quantitative or continuous. Statistical methods using the log-linear model provide the institutional researcher with a powerful set of tools for addressing research questions when data are categorical. (Author/MSE)

The purpose of this document is to encourage collaboration in research and development in postsecondary education through providing increased understanding of the diversity of contributions from professional educational researchers, teachers, librarians, and other school personnel. Emphasis is placed on the role of the educational practitioner, as…