Educational institutions and governing practices are increasingly augmented with digital database technologies that function as new kinds of policy instruments. This article surveys and maps the landscape of digital policy instrumentation in education and provides two detailed case studies of new digital data systems. The Learning Curve is a…

Because the relationship between computer use and achievement is still puzzling, there is a need to prepare and analyze good quality datasets on computer use and achievement. Such a dataset can be derived from TIMSS data. This paper describes how this dataset can be prepared. It also gives an example of how the dataset may be analyzed. The…

Purpose: Linking Open Data (LOD) provides a vast amount of well structured semantic information, but many inconsistencies may occur, especially if the data are generated with the help of automated methods. Data cleansing approaches enable detection of inconsistencies and overhauling of affected data sets, but they are difficult to apply…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides several funding opportunities that can assist states in designing, developing, and implementing statewide education longitudinal data systems. These new and enhanced information systems will enable states to track student progress within and across the secondary and postsecondary education…

One of the challenges limiting the capability for analysis of educational issues is that data on school enrollments, staffing, and financing are collected through separate but annually conducted universe surveys. Because the data are collected and provided by separate agencies, the available data from the nation's school districts are often…

Discusses important factors to consider before deciding on hardware or software to use in building qualitative databases. Examines using the computer to store and retrieve text, store and retrieve graphics, analyze text, analyze graphic materials, distribute data stored on one machine to others, allow researchers access to data from remote sites,…

High schools are increasingly expected to use data for improvement and to provide evidence that programs and instructional practices are preparing all students to develop essential knowledge and skills. This publication describes how schools can develop the capacity to analyze and use data as a core component of improving secondary schools using…

The paper addresses the potential of informatics to patient care quality assurance curricula, focusing on (1) terminology and developments related to quality of care evaluations; (2) criticisms of traditional approaches; (3) limitations of existing data sources for quality assurance in dentistry; and (4) quality assurance considerations in…

Describes the methodology and results of the log analysis for the Alcohol Studies Database (ASDB), a domain-specific database supported by the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University Libraries. The objectives were to better understand user search behavior, to analyze failure rates, and to develop approaches for improving the user…

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…

This conference paper presents a description of how faculty workloads are assessed for fiscal and other purposes at Northern Arizona University (NAU). Following a discussion of workload issues, the paper examines: (1) definition of workload; (2) methodology for data collection; (3) development of a faculty full-time equivalency database and two…

A 5-year study of the Illinois Eastern Community College District 529 Information Referral and Retention (IR&R) Project was conducted. Its purpose was to evaluate demographic and educational information regarding 888 students enrolled in the IR&R Public Assistance Program from November 1983 through June 1988. As part of the study, an…

This monograph, based on a conceptual model called an information support circle, describes a structured management process that can be used by higher education institutions to add value to institutional data and information. The model offers a sequence of (1) thinking about the management and use of data, (2) considering problems in providing…

This is a report evaluating the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), which is designed to track federal student financial aid (Title IV) programs and provide research and support functions such as prescreening of aid applicants for eligibility and enrollment status. The report finds that the Department of Education has made only limited…