This manual has been designed as a practical guide to quantifying and measuring the results, or outputs, of public library service to children. The basic output measures presented are tailored to reflect library services to children (defined as persons 14 years old and younger) and their care givers. Six categories of measures are presented: (1)…

This guide is designed to help educators plan and carry out evaluations of adult education programs. Following an introduction, Section 2 discusses how the evaluation process fits into the concept and normal cycle of program development. Section 3 describes the stages of the evaluation process, including needs assessment, program planning, process…

A technique for large-scale research in which researchers at different sites study the same problem in the same way at the same time is described. This "simultaneous replication" enhances the credibility of the replication process by eliminating variations in the use of time that can contaminate research results. A total of 144…

The importance of the U.S. Census as a monitor of social change in the past decade and harbinger of social change in the future is reviewed. Throughout the history of the U.S., the census has provided both the data that drive the economy and the numbers for equitably apportioning political power. The census reflects the fact that changes in…

Error profiles for the Fall Enrollment Survey of the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) were developed as part of an assessment of the quality of survey data. Three statistics were of particular interest: the count of full-time equivalent students, the breakdown by race/ethnicity, and the count of unclassified students. Attention…

Five data collection techniques and two sampling methods were examined in terms of costs, rates of return, quality of the data collected, and degree of representativeness in assessing needs and interests of public television viewers in rural areas. Data collection techniques were (1) mail only, (2) mail incentive, (3) telephone only, (4) mail and…

A COMPARISON WAS MADE BETWEEN THE UNDERGRADUATES IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION WHO HAD SELECTED EITHER BIOLOGY OR GEOLOGY AS A FIELD OF SUBJECT MATTER CONCENTRATION AND THOSE WHO HAD DECLARED SOME OTHER CONCENTRATION. THE STUDY WAS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP IN FUTURE SCIENCE INSTRUCTION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS MUST COME FROM…

The interest of the Constitutional Rights Foundation in legal and citizenship education helped to instigate a comprehensive, nation-wide study of law-related educational projects for public school-age children. An overview and analysis, introductory remarks, and statistical summary are presented, along with a list of projects of special merit.…

The necessity of evaluating research methodology is discussed, and a profiling approach is proposed. Explanatory statements about the research process, directions for doing the actual profiling of the research report, a research profiling flow chart, a research profile sheet, and two additional graphic aids to understanding are included. The…

During round 16 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), 900 NLSY sample members were randomly assigned to be interviewed about the period since their round 14 interview. Their responses were compared to those of approximately 8,000 NLSY sample members who were assigned to be interviewed about the 1-year period since their round 15…

Noting that obtaining facts and figures on important policy issues related to children is the critical first step toward identifying what is working and what needs improvement, this Kids Count guide is designed to help local community members find and use data on the condition of children and families in Minnesota. The guide describes how to…

The current context of policy issues and limits of current state education data systems underscore the need to create new, detailed, and comprehensive school-level data systems. Such data could be used to illuminate policy issues relating to governance, resource utilization, accountability, equity, and adequacy. In this special issue, authors…

Calls for simplicity when presenting data on student achievement. Data should help teachers improve teaching and learning, and focus on specific goals such as determining how many students are succeeding in a subject and, within that subject, what are the areas of strength or weakness. (Contains 22 references.) (WFA)

Discusses the potential for increasing library effectiveness through the appropriate design and utilization of research and describes fundamental research and statistical techniques. Topics examined include areas amenable to data collection, data collection methods amenable to statistical analysis, measurement techniques and levels of…

Estimates the unauthorized U.S. labor force and explores the methodology for estimating hard-to-detect populations. Findings from a sample of 3,169 businesses suggest that a large proportion of the unauthorized labor force uses fraudulent documents without the knowledge of their employer. (GLR)