This chapter describes several examples of institutional use of state- and college-level tracking data to benchmark performance, improve student success, and enhance program effectiveness.

The costs of evaluation are affected by program characteristics and the extent to which it is important to be confident about proof and causality. They are also affected by decisions about issues, resources, evidence, data gathering, data analysis, and reporting. (CT)

Two revisions of computer-interactive multidimensional scaling data selection procedures are presented. One revision--based on randomly ordering the list of stimuli--improves the estimates of the multidimensional scaling parameters and the other permits more efficient data designs. (Author/JKS)

Institutions of higher education have developed a host of interventions to increase the retention of first-year students whose academic performance is inadequate. This study evaluated the overall effectiveness of an intervention strategy designed for first-year students on academic probation at a mid-western research university. A…

As part of an NSF funded project we developed new course materials for a general introductory statistics course designed to engage students in statistical discovery. The materials were designed to actively involve students in the design and implementation of data collection and the analysis and interpretation of the resulting data. Our overall…

This case study offers an in-depth look at how one school achieved change in its culture and in its approach to curriculum and instruction. The unit of analysis for this single case study is South Loop Elementary School (SLES) and the time period is from August 2002 to June of 2007, during which SLES students demonstrated sharply improved…

Participation in the Head Start program has had a favorable effect on the program participants in all of the major areas of development covered by the pupil rating instrument used in this assessment. (Author)

The article demonstrates that use of meta-analysis on studies investigating the effectiveness of psycholingistic training with handicapped children results in nonvalidation of the training--a conclusion which contradicts results reported earlier by K. Kavale. (SW)

Presents use of the effect size as a descriptive statistic for single-subject research. Discusses the way in which effect sizes augment interpretation of results, and reviews four types of treatment effects with case studies. An appendix includes a sample computer program for computing effect sizes. (SLD)

Writing researchers have developed various methods for investigating the writing process since the 1970s. The early 1980s saw the occurrence of the real-time computer-aided study of the writing process that relies on the protocols generated by recording the computer screen activities as writers compose using the word processor. This article…

Regardless of where you are in your school improvement process, here's a book that helps you make sure you have all the right elements working for you in the right way. The authors take you through the core processes that are essential for all school improvement efforts--from establishing your mission to differentiating your supervision based on…

"The Electric Company" ("TEC") television show won the hearts of children because it made learning fun. Thirty years later, the iconic show has returned with the goal of not only teaching literacy, but also numeracy (the ability to work with and understand numbers) and mathematics vocabulary in a fun, entertaining, and engaging…

The second part of a 2-part report on job development in selected Metropolitan areas, this document contains an overview of the methodological approach to the study as well as survey coverage, procedures followed, and development of the survey instruments. Appendixes contain abstracts of the literature reviewed during the study and copies of the…

Describes a training needs approach based on a survey of performance-based skills. Results of the survey are analyzed using mean scores, factor analysis, and product-moment correlations. (Author/CT)

A review of the effectiveness of extension education programs in Douglas County, Kansas is presented. Data were collected through a review of program data, interviews, and questionnaires sent to county residents. The results indicate a general knowledge and acceptance of the county's extension services among the respondents. (EC)