This paper analyses how three European countries produce and use data within a specific educational policy field, that of school leaving and graduation. It compares how stakeholders in England, Finland and the Netherlands know what happens to the leavers from schools and universities. Through gathering evidence about the methodological…

As demand for information on postsecondary education has increased, institutions have had to adapt information systems to accurately report data. Institutions currently respond to multiple constituencies including national media outlets, higher education associations, state regulatory authorities, and federal agencies. The purpose of this study is…

The National Dissemination Project was originally funded by the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity to develop and test a more aggressive model for educational dissemination--a model aimed at increasing the usefulness of information for the practictioner. In this final report, the NDP dissemination model is presented, predicated on the following…

Postsecondary student aid programs administered by the United States Office of Education (USOE) have helped many thousands of students to obtain an education they may not otherwise have received; however, some schools have engaged in questionable or abusive practices that have frustrated student attainment of the desirable educational goals…

A study was conducted in Great Britain to review the means by which teachers of Further and Higher Education (FE/HE) keep in touch with (1) developments in their course area; (2) experimentation and innovation in curriculum design; (3) alternative teaching approaches; (4) learning resources; and (5) other sources of professional information.…

Intended for researchers and professionals, this report provides a detailed review of planning strategies, action steps, and outcomes of the National Dissemination Project for Post-Secondary Education from 1972 to 1974. Drawing on the background that led to the project, the report covers the planning stages in detail and provides comprehensive…

The precision of item parameter estimates can be increased by taking advantage of dependencies between the latent proficiency variable and auxiliary examinee variables such as age, courses taken, and years of schooling. Score gains roughly equivalent to two to six additional item responses can be expected in typical educational and psychological…

This study surveyed families in Arkansas to obtain information on where parents acquire advice and information to assist with their childrearing efforts. The sample for the study were 23 parents of the University of Arkasas' nursery school children, 24 parents of first-grade children in a rural Arkansas county, and 18 parents located throughout…

Members of a subgroup of the European Training Foundation's Advisory Forum were surveyed regarding the impact of labor market information on vocational education and training (VET) standards. The survey questionnaire, which was developed after a literature search, was designed to identify how labor market information influences vocational…

Secondary vocational instructors, community college instructors, and career directors in three Oregon counties were interviewed to assess usage of occupational cluster guides, individualized instruction packages, and other curriculum materials developed by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). Focus was on level and depth of usage, deterrents…

The collection and compilation of occupational supply data from formal, organized training programs were investigated to identify instances of multiple counting and undercounting of labor supply. The study combined a literature review; interviews with 274 individuals in 10 states involved in data production and use at the state or local level;…

This report presents results of an examination of the 1980 seniors' and sophomores' transcript data collected in 1984 by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) as part of the High School and Beyond (HS&B) study. An introduction describes the purposes of this study of course-taking patterns in less-than-four-year institutions,…

Discussion of school improvement focuses on a study of Ontario educators that examined their use of various sources of information, including conferences, workshops, and inservice training, for improvement purposes. Knowledge utilization is discussed; interactive processes between the information and the setting are considered; and predictor…

A research project examined ways in which labor market signals and indicators were being used and might be used to identify needs that could be met through national Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems. Three case studies were undertaken in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Costa Rica. The studies used a matrix that identified on…

Questions are raised about conventional notions of social work education by introducing field-derived data of how social workers use knowledge in everyday worklife, particularly in the field. Two typical social work units (public and private) totalling 24 social workers were the main foci for data collection, and additional subjects and social…