Since 2010, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) has periodically administered the "Strong Foundations" survey, which documents the content, structure, and effective use of state postsecondary student unit record systems (PSURSs). This report highlights the results of the fourth administration of the survey,…

This report addresses two key questions about postsecondary student unit record data systems (PSURSs): (1) What data are collected by various parties; and (2) how do these entities use the data to inform policy decisions? This 2016 report is both a follow-up and a redesign of two previous "Strong Foundations" reports by SHEEO (2010 and…

Available from: Policy Studies Journal, 361 Lincoln Hall, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, $2.50 single copy.

An analysis of the findings of a 1973 survey of research/information needs for promoting innovation in community colleges is presented. This survey was made of institutions which had previously expressed interest in information assistance. Analyses are made by topic area, region and topics by region. These tentative conclusions were reached: (1) a…

Included are issue statements, workshop reports, and recommendations. The conference was held for educators and educational data collectors to exchange ideas on improving postsecondary education surveys and to plan for making such surveys universally compatible. Among the issues discussed are the uses of information, government concerns in…

This forum paper contains the perspectives of three adult education researchers (Jerold W. Apps, Daniele D. Flannery, and T. Tappey Turner) concerning the role of adult educators in the information age and the attitudes of adult educators toward the recent information explosion. In perspective 1, on the roles of the adult educator in the…

This paper reviews the question of the cost and benefits of data for the analysis of state policy questions, and concludes that in the abstract the question cannot be answered; rather, it must be considered on a continuing basis whenever data is to be collected in the support of baseline studies or special projects. The paper suggests six criteria…

Members of a subgroup of the European Training Foundation's Advisory Forum were surveyed regarding the impact of labor market information on vocational education and training (VET) standards. The survey questionnaire, which was developed after a literature search, was designed to identify how labor market information influences vocational…

Secondary vocational instructors, community college instructors, and career directors in three Oregon counties were interviewed to assess usage of occupational cluster guides, individualized instruction packages, and other curriculum materials developed by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). Focus was on level and depth of usage, deterrents…

In order to sort out a comprehensible total picture regarding needs assessment and to develop a useful conceptual framework for this area, a comprehensive review of the needs assessment literature pertinent to the concerns of postsecondary education was conducted. The review found that needs assessment is a viable tool for input to planning, but…

This report represents a summary of findings from a research project to determine the availability of data concerning occupationally oriented training and education programs. Part I describes the types of data available regarding education and training programs--what information about which programs and providers is available from what source. It…

This paper is intended to function as both a major analytic effort and a review of the literature relevant to the establishment of an occupational information system. An introduction is followed by a summary of the legislative history documenting the process by which occupational information has been increasingly recognized as an essential element…

The types and functions of the agencies needing occupational information for use in career counseling vary greatly. For example, career and guidance counseling is often supplied by a wide variety of individuals, including general education teachers, rehabilitation counselors, employment service counselors, Comprehensive Employment and Training Act…

This issue includes the following nine papers on the theme of collecting and utilizing information on vocational training in Europe: "Information on Vocational Training in the Federal Republic of Germany" (Hardenacke); "Devolved Decision Making in the U.K. Demands Wide Dissemination of Information" (Cowan, Brown);…

Three papers focusing on various aspects of nontraditional postsecondary education, are presented in this volume. The first paper by Cross and Zusman explores the issue of nontraditional population needs and associated program responses. The second paper, by Bowen, Edelstein, and Medsker, focuses on the kinds of information that decisionmakers in…