The recommendations in this brief create a framework for using data effectively to make instructional decisions. The availability of student-level data for educators has pushed forward the movement to strengthen the role of data to guide instruction and improve student learning. While improvements in technology and assessments, as well as recent…

Important questions that superintendents can answer if they have access to accurate and appropriate data. (Author/MLF)

Defines and discusses competitive intelligence for business decision making and suggests the use of online databases to start looking for relevant information. The best databases to use are described, designing the search strategy is explained, reviewing and editing results are discussed, and the presentation of results is considered. (LRW)

Reviews the origin, current state of development, and subject coverage of the secondary access services available to American social scientists, including bibliographic services for the various academic disciplines and a large variety of specialized services for subdisciplines and interdisciplinary fields. A 10-item reference list accompanies the…

Despite investment in new research tools and techniques, the product development success rate has not improved within the last 25 years. One way to increase the success rate is to have the right information at each stage of the process. Today, a relatively new method of gathering information--online access to electronic files called…

Suggests standards designed to guide potential database users through a systematic evaluation process to choose database appropriate for particular application. Comparison standards are provided for database content (scope, completeness, source coverage, selection/evaluation, redundancy, references); database systems (documentation, accessibility,…

The Information Sciences section at Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI) is now operating a Computer Search Center (CSC) for handling numerous machine-readable data bases. The computer programs are generalized in the sense that they will handle any incoming data base. This is accomplished by means of a preprocessor system…

The objectives of this study were to submit all the information necessary for making a decision on the establishment of a comprehensive materials data bank for West Germany. The problems investigated were: determination of the present state of the art, examination of a number of systems and other resources existing in the subject, site visits to…

This is the second of a four-volume report of Project EDNEED II (Empirical Determination of Nationally Essential Educational Data). (Project EDNEED II, conducted from July 1975 to September 1976, was designed to document the extent to which data currently collected by State vocational education agencies could be used to answer prioritized…

This is the fourth volume of a four-volume report of Project EDNEED II (Empirical Determination of Nationally Essential Educational Data), conducted from July 1975 to September 1976 to document the extent to which data currently collected by State vocational education agencies could be used to answer vocational education informational needs of…

Discusses processes involved in development, operation, and utilization of bibliographic databases--design, data collection, processing, access, and use--and assesses their relevance to developing countries. Utilization of other countries' databases, use of services of organizatons in other countries, and participation in a cooperative system are…

An attempt was made to determine who uses data from the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) and for what purposes. The study objective was to learn if HEGIS is a necessary and useful data base for determining the condition of higher education and developing policy. The quality of the HEGIS data perceived in terms of accuracy,…

A series of 11 articles describes information technologies being used in the U.S. Congress, the impact of these technologies, and possible future developments. Included are a chronology of key actions affecting congressional information support and a list of readings in information technology and Congress. (CLB)

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…

Project EDNEED II (Empirical Determination of Nationally Essential Educational Data), conducted from July 1975 to September 1976, was designed to document the extent to which data currently collected by State vocational education agencies could be used to answer prioritized Project EDNEED I questions. (Project EDNEED I identified and prioritized…