A major reason for the paucity of usable data on the contributions and effectiveness of community colleges is that the definitions on which the data are based are imprecise. Colleges' contributions might be better understood if their functions were reconceptualized. The collegiate dimension of community colleges (i.e, that portion of the…

A directory on comparative data about higher education is presented. Descriptions are provided of a total of 50 reports/data collections concerning the following areas: comparative state information about state funding and expenditures for higher education; comparative state and institutional information about salaries of college faculty and…

A review is provided of statewide and institutional data reflecting the magnitude and causes of the reverse transfer phenomenon. First, data from California, North Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota are presented, contrasting the numbers of students who transfer from two- to four-year colleges to the sometimes greater number of students…

This case study analyzes and evaluates the administrative computer systems in the British Columbia public school organization in order to investigate the costs and benefits of computers, their impact on managerial work, their influence on centralization in organizations, and the relationship between organizational objectives and the design of…

This memorandum discusses a number of recommendations proposed for changes in the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP). The Higher Level Assessment Study Group discussed ways to further MEAP testing goals: expand testing into additional subject areas, for every pupil, on a cyclical basis; set higher standards encouraging student…

A manual to help students analyze public policy issues in a systematic and well-informed way is presented, with emphasis on the conceptual, information-gathering, and analytical skills required. The text is intended for two major audiences: (1) introductory college-level courses in political science, public policy, or social science research; and…

Information is repackaged to assist population education information centers in their goal of facilitating the appropriate dissemination and use of information. Repackaging of information refers to the presentation of information in more understandable, readable, acceptable, and usable forms. This manual includes (1) guidelines for choosing…

Experiences in systems-development for state information systems are summarized for eight pilot-test state agencies, as part of the State Level Information Base project. Attention is directed to the evaluation of information needs; hardware and software choices; survey administration; data organization, storage, and linkages; and staffing…

This supplementary report presents testimony on the community college transfer function given to the California Postsecondary Education Commission's Ad Hoc Committee on Community College Transfer. First, Paul Elsner discusses developments related to transfer and articulation with four-year institutions within the Maricopa Community College…

In a project led by Research for Better Schools (RBS), educators work with researchers to improve basic skills learning. Based on research findings relating the amount of time allocated for instruction and student achievement, one school made scheduling changes to reduce the time spent moving from one classroom to another. Other classroom…

Two data-gathering instruments, the Supervisory Behavior Description Questionnaire (SBDQ) and the derivative Supervising Teacher Behavior Description Questionnaire (STBDQ), are described in one paper and employed in three others in this symposium series. Both forms are useful in evaluating perceived behaviors of supervisory educational personnel,…

The process of research synthesis is examined in this paper. The results of a case study of what happens to the attitudes of six experts in the field of school desegregation and black achievement when they interactively review the relevant research literature are presented. The impact of these subjects' resulting reviews on the attitudes of a less…

This discussion of the transfer function of California's community colleges focuses on the problems of obtaining reliable information, research findings on factors affecting transfer success, and ways of accurately assessing transfer rates. After affirming the importance of the transfer function of community colleges, the paper examines flaws and…

This booklet is designed to assist beginning and experienced teachers in public and private vocational education programs in evaluating the performance of present and past students as a means of gaining insight into the effectiveness of vocational programming and instruction. Discussed first are issues and procedures involved in process and…

The procedures used in an ethnographic study of a classroom language learning community are described. The research was undertaken to gain insights into adult language learning taking place among students who were not foreign language majors in an elementary French class at Michigan Technological University during the 1986-87 academic year. The…