Techniques for conducting student-attrition studies using the Student-Outcomes Information Service (SOIS) are outlined. General concepts to effectively guide an institutional research effort are discussed, with attention to better defining student attrition and a summary of results of recent research on the reasons why students withdraw from…

In the context of findings from the recent nationwide studies and reports on the status of education, this paper focuses on the program assessment, instructional planning, and resource allocation efforts of the Rochester (New York) School District. The first phase, the Rochester Assessment Project, began with informal meetings between the…

This report examines federal, state, and local databases containing information on migrant workers and their children, identifies their common characteristics, and assesses their potential utility to inform educational policy analysis. General criteria used to evaluate each database's strengths and weaknesses include standardization, reliability,…

An instructional program to improve adolescent student mastery of real-life decision-making skills produced very positive results in terms of teacher comfort with the program and increased student performance. Five core skills for decision-making were the basis of the program: identification, selection and assessment of decision criteria,…

This user's manual explains the Articulation Research System (ARS), which was created by Santa Fe Community College, and its database. As introductory material notes, the ARS was designed to: (1) follow former community college students through their bachelor's degree programs in the Florida State University System (SUS); (2) compare student…

This monograph focuses on educational evaluation and how it occurs within a specific setting--school districts' central administrative offices--examining the relationships between evaluation activities and district organizational features that impinge upon such activities. The various chapter authors worked with the Center for the Study of…

Based on a survey covering 56 countries, this report lists internationally relevant instructional materials and research aimed at familiarizing school children with information concepts and skills, and also discusses the creation of new instructional materials in this area. The study's aims, methods, and rationale are briefly described, as well as…

The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) offers an approach to the study of change by focusing on the needs of individuals and describing their growth over time. Seven Stages of Concern (SoC) have been identified that occur as a teacher adopts an innovation: (1) little concern about or involvement with the innovation; (2) interest in learning more…

Manpower information and projections in postsecondary education have present value in the sense that they guide today's decisions based on a view of what tomorrow's world will be like. But manpower decisions are complicated by the fact that the decision-maker, be it a government, an institution, or an individual, must also take account of how…

Practical observations are offered in this report on health manpower information data and analyses to provide assistance to health planners in carrying out manpower activities more effectively. Problems and considerations discussed are as follows: Timeliness and accuracy of data, comparability of definitions and coverage, confidentiality problems,…

This handbook outlines procedures for evaluating a school guidance program. Defined first are the concept of guidance evaluation and basic terms in guidance evaluation. The purpose of guidance evaluation is discussed. Covered in a description of problems and difficulties in doing guidance evaluation are general problems; problems relating to…

This report describes the New York City School Library System (NYCSLS), a pilot project aimed at developing a network of cooperating school libraries to participate in the sharing of print and media resources, cooperative collection development, and other services. This report reviews the assessment of the project's effectiveness in the…

A report based on a conference on the impact of cost information on statewide budgeting and planning is presented. The conference was organized around case-study reports on the use of cost information in higher education budgeting in Florida, Indiana, Washington, and Wisconsin. Rather than publishing convention proceedings, the case studies were…

Originating in the Rand Corporation's evaluation of the voucher demonstration project in the Alum Rock Union School District (California), this study of family choice in schooling focuses on these questions: Are parents motivated and competent to make intelligent choices among competing educational alternatives? What kinds of schools do parents…

An overview is presented of the background and proceedings of a conference planned to share information on dissemination and utilization research conducted by National Institute of Education sponsored projects in educational laboratories and R&D centers in order to form a community among those who share similar research objectives and problems.…