The Exploring Engagement Fund provides risk capital for arts nonprofits to experiment with innovative ideas about how to engage diverse Californians. In order to understand the variety of Californians engaged in arts experiences, this guide is intended to support current and future Fund grantees in collecting participant information. Exploring…

For more than four decades the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has tracked the achievement of U.S. students in major academic subjects. This national resource is the only assessment that states and now many urban districts can look to as an objective yardstick of their performance over time, relative to national benchmarks, and…

Educational improvement through data-based decision-making using high-quality data is a longstanding goal of policymakers and practitioners, and ensuring the quality of the evidence available to inform such decisions is a key part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The evidence-based education that such initiatives promote involves the…

This article describes the process and role frontline access and public service staff play in needs assessment and evaluation of user services, specifically in understanding the voice of the customer. Information includes how the University of Arizona Libraries have incorporated daily data collection into the strategic planning process, resources…

Once a librarian has made the decision to conduct a study of the economic community, several interrelated questions must be addressed: What is meant by the term "economic community" and what is known about it? What will be the objectives of the survey? Which businesses, industries, and services should be included? Who will conduct the…

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…

A survey was conducted to identify the information needs of a five percent sample of men and women incarcerated in seven Maryland State Correctional Facilities for use in planning relevant library services to this population. Findings indicated a lack of basic information concerning rules for correct institutional behavior, with one third of the…

Requests to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for postsecondary education data were analyzed and compared to previously identified issues. Summaries of telephone requests (log entries) and files of letter requests from January 1977 through December 1977 were studied. A single coding scheme was developed for both letter and phone…

Data for administrative and financial control are being confused with data needed for policy and planning purposes. Implications for information systems and data collection in Canadian higher education are discussed. (Author/LBH)

The concepts of need and needs assessment are examined in the context of information needs for college administrators. A description is included of the conceptual framework underlying the Needs Assessment Information System (NAIS), which was developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Attention is directed to: (1)…

To determine the extent to which states are able to assess their provision of services to typically underserved populations, this study interviewed 16 Part H (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) state coordinators. Major findings indicated: (1) six states identified their rural population as most underserved and six identified one or more…

This guide describes a systematic way of identifying the resources and needs of community residents by gathering data, soliciting the perspectives of residents and leaders, and surveying service providers and other community resources. Part 1 of the guide differentiates community assessment from traditional needs assessments and details the 5-step…

Directed to local superintendents of schools and local coordinators who desire assistance in developing and implementing student information systems in their districts, this guide summarizes material presented in the Alabama State Department of Education's LEA Basic Data Systems: A Manual of Developmental Activities. It describes Alabama's…

Intended to assist school administrators in developing both student information systems and total information systems, this guide contains suggestions which, when considered in terms of local characteristics and concerns, can be used to create such systems to support administrative decision making, state and federal reporting, guidance, research,…