This volume traces broad outlines of the economy in the 20th century, its impact on the American worker, and evolution of statistical tools needed by policymakers, workers, employers, and researchers in a new century. An introductory essay (Donald M. Fisk) outlines the economic, technological, social, and business developments of the 20th century.…

This monograph, part of a series on student assessment, reports on the results of a national survey that examined institutional support for undergraduate student assessment. It provides a national profile of student assessment initiatives at comprehensive institutions and compares it to assessment practices and support patterns found in all types…

This book is intended to be a practical reference for accessing agencies that provide transition services for students with disabilities after they exit school and for including those agencies in the transition planning process while the student is still in public school. Emphasis throughout is on interagency collaboration and the various…

Describes a social work course incorporating ethnographic research methods, including seven course modules that cover sampling, data collection, data analysis, theory development, presentation of findings, and practical application within a clinical setting. Also presents student evaluations of course relevance and usefulness, and educational and…

The following recommendations are made to assist multidisciplinary teams in developing educational programs for second-language learners: diversify the team and offer training; compare student performance in native and secondary languages; consider factors associated with second-language acquisition; employ alternative assessments; identify life…

Studies of the mathematics assessments of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are summarized. One study found that omit rates for NAEP test items were higher for African Americans and Hispanics than for whites. The other found that descriptions and examples for the 1992 mathematics achievement levels were misleading. (SLD)

Describes language use in parent-child interactions in the homes of three Puerto Rican kindergartners. Micro-ethnographic techniques were used to gather contextual data and audio tape recordings of adult-child interactions in the classroom and homes. It is suggested that teachers must identify the skills parents possess that are relevant to their…

Provides data on background variables of respondents collected in 1993 as part of a large-scale study of American Sign Language (ASL) teaching and compares this data to similar data collected in 1980. Also discusses changes in ASL teachers profile during this interval and identifies areas where further growth is needed. (10 references) (LR)

The draft code of ethics prepared by the Committee on Standards and Ethics of the Association for Institutional Research is reviewed by section, with commentary on the precepts involved and the code's provisions for individual training and competence, responsibility, confidentiality, relationships within institution and community, and conduct…

Two data collection designs, counterbalanced and spiraling (Angoff's Design I and Angoff's Design II) were compared using item response theory and equipercentile equating methodology in the vertical equating of 2 mathematics achievement tests using 1,000 eleventh graders and 1,000 twelfth graders. The greater stability of Design II is discussed.…

The ASPIRA Association in the District of Columbia conducted a longitudinal multimethod study with 1,152 students based on school records, interviews, the High School and Beyond study, and 1-year followup to study dropouts among Hispanic-American students in 5 cities: Chicago, Miami, Newark, Milwaukee, and San Antonio. Findings represent an…

Reports on a study of innovative city and county government programs in four western states. The study discovered widely divergent assessments of the same programs, dependent upon whether the survey instruments used qualitative or quantitative techniques. Discusses the possible reasons for this and the implications for future research. (MJP)

Discusses how to teach students in primary and intermediate grades to record and organize information. Highlights include developing a research question; collaborative planning between teachers and library media specialists; consistency of data entry; and an example of a unit on animal migration based on an appropriate Web site. (LRW)

Announces the availability of a new dataset on U.S. politics, the "Record of American Democracy." Includes information on the type of data contained in the set and the extent of the data. Provides information on accessing the dataset via the World Wide Web. (DSK)

In this article we describe the development and implementation of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) multisite Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study (WCDVS), highlighting some of the challenges encountered, decisions made, and lessons learned. Four themes are discussed. First, the unique…