The purpose of this study was to identify the beliefs of Tennessee principals and teachers about the knowledge and skills required of leaders when using data to improve educational decision-making. Personal interviews were conducted with 10 principals and 10 teacher leaders certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.…

This paper discusses research in progress which is examining differences in the ways that boys and girls engage in small-group literature discussions, and the enabling strategies teachers use to support student talk. The paper uses case studies which draw on videotaped data from small-group literature discussions, interviews with teachers, and…

This paper describes how one group of students came to reason about data while developing statistical understandings related to exploratory data analysis. Episodes taken from a 7th grade classroom in which a 12-week teaching experiment was conducted are presented. One of the goals of the teaching experiment was to investigate ways to support…

Although educational communications has been accepted as an independent field of study for nearly 40 years, there still is not agreement on its conceptual definition and boundaries in Turkey. This study was conducted by using the literature and the experts' opinions to describe the field identity of educational communications. The researchers…

Based on the recommendations of previous research, this study discusses and analyzes the usage of technology and instructional materials in a broad level in the United States. The National Education Longitudinal Study: 1988-96 (NELS88) is a longitudinal study of the 1988 eighth graders by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The…

NCATE (2002) requires the measurement of knowledge, skills, and dispositions as part of its accreditation requirements for teacher education programs (Standard 1) and the use of unit assessment systems to aggregate and analyse data with a view toward program improvement (Standard 2). Data must indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and…

This paper considers the feasibility of linking a student data sample with the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) teacher and administrative data. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has from time to time considered linking their student-based elementary and secondary surveys to the school- and teacher-based surveys. Speculation on…

Based on a decade of evaluation experience, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) has developed the Integrated Evaluation Methods (IEM) Package, a series of conceptual and methodological applications to enhance CSAT-funded evaluation activities. Products in the IEM Package are organized within an evaluation framework constructed on the…

This brief paper presents an analysis of federal data concerning use of assistive technology (AT) among infants and toddlers. The number of very young children using AT increased dramatically between 1992 and 1995. Of more than 177,000 infants and toddlers receiving services under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 9,274…

This brief paper presents an update on the use of assistive technology (AT) among infants and toddlers for 1996. It finds that 13,525 children, ages birth to 2, received AT devices and services in 1996, a 45 percent increase from the number of very young children served in 1995. A table shows the number of infants and toddlers receiving any early…

This issue focuses on decision making. The term "D[cubed]M" used throughout the issue means data-driven decision making. D[cubed]M is not merely crunching numbers or translating statistics; it is about creating a picture to see where you have been and to determine where you want to go. Provided is a special D[cubed]M checklist to figure out how…

In November 2002, the Institute for the Advancement of Emerging Technologies in Education at AEL gathered education practitioners to help shepherd new assessments from the research laboratory to the classroom. Approximately 60 teachers and administrators attended the conference. The discussion focused on the possibility of aggregating formative…

In this activity, students design and create a LEGO (plastic building blocks) structure to house and protect a temperature sensor. The structure is left in a safe spot and the temperature is regularly checked and charted. This activity uses a time frame of 45 minutes. (Author/SOE)

This case study investigates the commercialized nature of Internet content and the ways educators and students negotiate and talk about such content. In factoring in the economic and historical context of educational Internet content, this case study also addresses educators' evolving attitudes towards commercialism in the classroom. A survey was…

This workbook for students provides an accessible introduction to a range of ways of analyzing language in context. The workbook can be used in a number of ways, for example, as a student reference text to briefly review a particular kind of language analysis or as a course textbook to introduce students to a variety of approaches to language data…