This chapter describes the background and process for collecting postgraduation outcomes data at a 4-year not-for-profit private college. The strategies, analyses, and reporting of this data-collection effort are highlighted with the use of a case study.

School systems can be data rich and information poor if they do not understand and manage their data effectively. The task for school leaders is to put existing data into a format that lends itself to answering questions and improving outcomes for the students. Common barriers to transforming data into knowledge in education settings often include…

A major effort of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems over the past few years has been the development of information Exchange Procedures (IEP) for a broad spectrum of colleges and universities. The motivation for this effort is the strong belief that the exchange and comparative analysis of data will lead to better…

Reviews pattern recognition techniques of multivariate statistical analysis as a means of data reduction. (SL)

One of a series of instructional booklets designed to introduce adult education program planners to the basic concepts integral to and alternative strategies for conducting needs assessments, this instructional booklet deals with determining how to summarize information. Described first is the relationship of the process of determining how to…

This paper describes an investigation of the effects of group interaction and consensus on information processing behavior when information is received sequentially or simultaneously by the information processing unit. Responses were compared to the Bayesian norm and further analyzed to determine the extent to which groups differed from…

This document reports the results of a study that surveyed and analyzed educational information at certain educational agencies to determine whether or not certain information items are presently maintained at various State departments of education and at certain large school districts. A summary of information maintained by each State department…

This report describes and analyzes statistical indicators of educational knowledge production and dissemination capability, presenting data at both the state and regional levels of aggregation. Three factors underlie 12 statistical indicators: a document production and access factor, a human-based linkage and exemplary practices factor, and a…

Evaluations that use imperfect information run into both analytical and political problems. Educational accountability systems based on achievement scores are an instance. Such systems frequently turn out to be irrelevant to policy decisions, resisted by educational interest groups that fear unflattering comparisons and the misuse of results, and…

Information is repackaged to assist population education information centers in their goal of facilitating the appropriate dissemination and use of information. Repackaging of information refers to the presentation of information in more understandable, readable, acceptable, and usable forms. This manual includes (1) guidelines for choosing…