Preparing teacher candidates to analyze achievement data is necessary to develop the understanding of how academic data is collected and used to inform instruction. Collecting achievement data in the area of literacy includes a variety of assessments focused on reading and writing. A critical component of analyzing data involves working in…

Because almost one half of students enrolled in American doctoral programs do not complete their degrees, the factors that lead to doctoral student attrition need to be identified. Research suggests that the nature of the advisor-advisee relationship contributes to the persistence levels of doctoral students. In this study, we conducted a content…

Skills developed through qualitative research and community partnerships can be essential for developing education students' cultural competency and understandings about diverse student populations. Toward this end, we developed a qualitative "service-research" project in a teacher education course focused on child development, whereby…

As Institutional Research (IR) moves beyond its fiftieth anniversary, a new profession, called Institutional Effectiveness (IE), is emerging. In some respects, IR and IE are similar. IE, though, appears to be taking the leadership role. What are the structure, purpose, and responsibilities of IE offices? What are the implications for the IR field…

Researchers have found that middle school students undergo developmental changes that require unique educational structures and support. As a result, experts have suggested a number of specific strategies for organizing middle schools in order to best meet students' needs. This Information Capsule summarizes middle school redesign initiatives that…

The Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB's) case study series highlights best practices High Schools That Work (HSTW) network schools and districts are implementing to better prepare students for further studies and careers. Lee's Summit West (LSW) High School near Kansas City, Missouri, boasts of a 99 percent graduation rate; 93 percent of…

Federal policymakers have interest in three specific areas of postsecondary career and technical education (CTE): associate degrees and certificates awarded in CTE, skills and training obtained through noncredit courses, and industry-recognized certifications. Research and data are readily available on students earning degrees and certificates in…

To stem the tide of students dropping out, many schools and districts are turning to early warning systems (EWS) that signal whether a student is at risk of not graduating from high school. While some research exists about establishing these systems, there is little information about the actual implementation strategies that are being used across…

The Non-Traditional Community College Project was developed to determine the conditions surrounding postsecondary youth and adult learning in the metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri area. This report is one of two publications resulting from the project. The 10 chapters of the report are: Survey of Postsecondary Youth and Adult Learning; Population…

This project studied the feasibility of using microcomputers for gathering and transmitting farm record information to the analysis portion of the Farm Business Management Analysis (FBMA) program in Missouri. Considerations were given to improving the accuracy of data submitted, the turnaround time to complete the analysis, and other factors…

This final report of a project conducted to design, develop, and test a comprehensive management plan for vocational education in Missouri is divided into three sections. Section I describes the rationale and components of a model based on the general systems approach to planning. An analysis of the planning process introduces several planning…

This guide provides local vocational administrators (LVAs) with information and guidelines to plan vocational programs for their school, district, or community college. The first four chapters outline a four-step planning process. They guide the LVA through (1) establishment of vocational education's place within the community's educational…