This article examines the use of the statistical technique of log-linear analysis in the field of vocational education. It introduces the technique and provides a step-by-step example of the log-linear procedure in the analysis of qualitative data. Advantages and limitations of the technique are also discussed. (Author)

The general goals of the study were: (1) to obtain the decision maker's perspectives on evaluation, how he defines it, how he carries it out; (2) to better understand the role of evaluation in site level decision making; and (3) to identify important characteristics of evaluation and of the school setting that affect the level of evaluation…

Reviews three of the most popular qualitative data analysis software packages currently available. Describes the purpose of research, including hermeneutic understanding and storytelling; examines the issue of holistic versus atomistic approaches to data analysis; and lists Web sites that describe qualitative software. (LRW)

In a data-driven school culture, there is an institutionalized willingness to use numbers systematically to reveal important patterns and answer focused questions about policy, methods, and outcomes. A central data team relies on input from teachers, ultimately responsible for student success. Massachusetts applications and examples are described.…

Five methods for determining the needs and aspirations of the total library community (library personnel, library affiliates, and general population) in Illinois are presented in this report, and the use of three of them for a 3-phase study is outlined: (1) survey of the literature (documentary research and secondary data collection and analysis);…

This article describes and compares two job analysis procedures, task inventory analysis and Position Analysis Questionnaire. It provides comparisons in terms of the characteristics of, the activities involved in, and the results derived from a study utilizing each of the techniques. (Author/CT)

Data-based decision making is a process of inquiry, analysis, and decision making that draws inferences from the interplay of school input/process and output variables. A case study involving a Connecticut district's response to falling SATs illustrates the need for fast, sophisticated information technology systems. (MLH)

Examines the necessity, availability, and feasibility of collecting and analyzing data on human and fiscal resources at the school level, based on the author's studies of Chapter 1 programs and New Jersey's school finance reform. Explores answerable questions; necessary data; collection challenges involving revenues and expenditures, staff,…

Effective needs assessment is not an end in itself but a continuing means of meeting the needs of students and teachers. It is an integral part of other activities such as planning, operating, and evaluating school programs and teacher center activities. The key to comprehensive needs assessment is the support and cooperation of the teachers,…

The user-friendly Classroom Ecobehavioral Assessment Instrument was developed to incorporate advantages of environmental assessment and functional assessment. Relatively simple behavior sampling procedures and scripted steps for summarizing and analyzing data lead to prescriptions for altering assessment and/or intervention practices. Results of…

The Comparative Database System (CDS) provides a means for coding and using data on U.S. and international postsecondary educational activity and behavior. CDS permits education-data users to obtain accurate and reliable comparative data on postsecondary education questions. This document contains a discussion of the development of CDS, a detailed…

The California Association of Work Experience Educators (CAWEE) Career Intern Program, funded by a federal grant, sought to demonstrate that experience-based career education was a viable and needed alternative to existing learning experiences. Selecting three schools from three districts in the greater Los Angeles area, the program maintained a…

An examination is presented of the progress of Maryland's Joint Coordinating Committee for Occupational Education Programs in developing a systematic procedure for the evaluation of the quality of occupational programs in Maryland's community colleges. After presenting the 1976 resolution which established the joint committee, the fiscal year 1987…

Science interfacing packages (also known as microcomputer-based laboratories or probeware) generally consist of a set of programs on disks, a user's manual, and hardware which includes one or more sensory devices. Together with a microcomputer they combine to make a powerful data acquisition and analysis tool. Packages are available for accurately…

This report presents the field tests plan including site selection for the Basic Skill Development Through Vocational Education Project. (The project's purpose is to develop Resource and Teacher Guides to provide vocational and occupational education teachers with information about ways of incorporating basic skills instruction into occupational…