As the availability of high-throughput data-collection technologies, such as information-sensing mobile devices, remote sensing, internet log records, and wireless sensor networks has grown, science, engineering, and business have rapidly transitioned from striving to develop information from scant data to a situation in which the challenge is now…

This paper reviews UNESCO activities for the collection of national production data of audiovisual materials and microforms and presents possible approaches to the task. UNESCO has for some years collected data on the production of printed materials, but while recognizing the need for collecting similar statistics on nonprint media, it has not yet…

This paper documents a successful methodology for the validation of data in general and for evaluating educational finance data in particular. The report addresses the errors found as a result of the independent completion of Part B-1 of the Elementary-Secondary General Information System (ELSEGIS)--the Local Education Agency Fiscal Report. This…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the extent to which children's mental health agencies can meet the information needs they consider to be most important and also comply with recommended standards of the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Projects (MHSIP). Three children's data sets representing three different agency…

Changes initiated by the United States Bureau of the Census to data collection on family relationships in the decennial census of the population, the Current Population Survey, and the Survey of Income and Program Participation are reviewed. In the last 5 years, innovations have centered on developing new approaches to identifying the array of…

Statistics tend to become interesting to non-methodologists when taught in a research context that is relevant to them. Real data sets supplemented by sufficient background information can provide just such a context. Despite this, many textbook authors and instructors of applied statistics rely on artificial data sets to illustrate statistical…

Based on an assessment of the research of others and personal research experience, suggestions are provided on the analysis and reporting of data on high school dropouts. Most of the experience upon which these insights are based is associated with schools in Boston, Massachusetts. Topics covered include types of statistics to be reported,…

Since problems associated with the statistical methodology of educational research are becoming increasingly important, this paper examines a subset of problems associated with the analysis and interpretation of aggregated data. Two major questions arise: (1) if a researcher knows the level (e.g., individual, teacher/classroom, school, school…

Some issues in defining dropouts and reporting information about them are explored, with reference to the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey of the National Center for Education Statistics. There has not been any uniform national count of how many students leave school, and no commonly accepted definition has been developed that allows a number to…

This is a report of a state-wide committee established by the Vice-Chancellor for Two-Year Campuses to develop a system of definitions and reporting for Ohio's two-year colleges. Specifically, the committee's goals were: (1) to suggest a conceptually focused glossary of terms which could be used to assure uniformity and comparability of data; (2)…

This paper discusses the problem of maintaining confidentiality in data resulting from research projects. The rights and responsibilities of the parties involved in a research effort are examined. Five parties to a research project are identified as: (1) the participants, often called subjects, who have the right to privacy and the responsibility…

The collection of dropout statistics is discussed from the perspective of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The NELS:88 follows a cohort of 1988 eighth graders over time and is designed to provide trend data about transitions experienced as students progress through the educational system. Dropout statistics are provided…

The most advantageous relationship between computer technology and institutional research is considered. Three potential problem areas are discussed: those associated with a central data processing center, those germane to minicomputers or terminals within the institutional research office, and those nondiscriminating types which cover both…

The development and use of library statistics in the Soviet Union and systems of reporting are discussed in this speech by E.A. Fenelonov, Ministry of Culture of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic, and are compared with statistical development in the United States by Vernon E. Palmour of King Research, Inc. Fenelonov emphasizes the use…

The author contends that the secondary analyst may have a different perspective and theoretical persuasion than the original investigator, may have the advantage of more current theory and practices than those originally available, may move beyond the substantive and methodological limitations of the original investigation, and may not be faced by…