Statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDSs) can enable researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to identify and understand important relationships and trends across the education-to-workforce continuum. A well-developed SLDS can increase state and territory governments' ability to establish more informed and equitable policies, enable agency…

Every U.S. state and the District of Columbia maintain a system to collect and store education data. These systems vary widely in their scope and sophistication -- and, by extension, in their ability to provide information that can guide decision-making. Most states have developed statewide longitudinal data systems, which establish formal…

"Fostering Youth Transitions" is a state-by-state data compilation designed to show state policymakers and other key stakeholders how young people are faring as they move from foster care to adulthood. The report shows the clear need for better policies and practices to give young people in foster care the opportunity to have brighter…

The long-term goal of the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) and other federal and state early intervention and early childhood education initiatives is improved child and family outcomes. States play a critical role in supporting practitioners in the use of evidence-based practices to improve child and family outcomes. When practitioners…

In Mexico, as in many other countries, HIV/AIDS strategies are developed at the federal level and implemented at the state level. Local programs are expected to use data, in particular surveillance data, to drive their decisions on programmatic activities and prioritize populations with which the program will engage. Since the early 1980s Mexico…

This report comprises edited versions of the presentations from the 17 participants in a conference under the sponsoreship of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. The conference was designed to enable policy-makers, educators, and business people to share perspectives on the most effective methods for identifying and collecting data that…

As Kansas schools have begun to work through the Quality Performance Accreditation (QPA) process, educators have asked for guidance and the establishment of some uniform parameters. This publication is one of the guides designed to lead schools through the school improvement process called for in the QPA. Creating a school profile is a way of…

The developmental paper, one of a series written as the Management Information System for Occupational Education (MISOE) was conceptualized, is a first attempt to picture the computer system necessary to carry out the project's goals. It describes the basic structure and the anticipated strategies of development of the computer system to be used.…

Designed to guide and structure the needs assessment of Pennsylvania children with special health care needs, this document describes six specific steps in planning and conducting a needs assessment. The steps include: (1) stating the goals of the needs assessment, including fulfilling legislative mandates, identifying geographical areas that have…

This handbook is designed to help state and local vocational education evaluators and persons using evaluation results by presenting strategies and procedures for improved use of vocational education evaluation results. It is divided into five sections, followed by a glossary and annotated bibliographies. Chapter 1 contains an overview of the…

The Oregon System of Mathematics Education (OSME) is a project geared toward identifying the curriculum gap between what exists and what is desired. Its primary objective is the improvement of mathematics education for all students in Oregon schools. The needs assessment described in this document focuses on gathering opinions and attitudes of…

The Pilot Training Project for personnel participating in Pilot State Dissemination Programs involved training of the three dissemination project staffs to carry out their dissemination functions. The program attempted to facilitate the use of tested educational research data by local educational agencies in their decision process. The staff…

In Part H of Public Law 99-457, the Federal Government agrees to provide modest financial resources to aid the states in planning and developing comprehensive, multidisciplinary, coordinated services for young children with handicaps and their families, and presents mandates for reforms in the service delivery system. This paper identifies the…

This annual report highlights the work of some grantees who are finding innovative ways to respond to today's new challenges based on a rigorous commitment by their leadership to gathering pertinent facts. These include cities that are planning wide-scale, lasting improvements in arts learning or out-of-school opportunities, basing their choices…

Decision Oriented Evaluation System (DOES) for community development training presents a system for training evaluation in prototypic form. This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of training evaluation methodology as well as details on specific functions involved in the training evaluation process. This model for evaluation is broken into…