Simple Bayesian approaches can be applied to answer specific questions in evaluating an individualized reading program. A small reading and study skills program located in the counseling center of a major research university collected and compiled data on student characteristics such as class, number of sessions attended, grade point average, and…

The comparison of item response theory models for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was extended to an equating context as simulation trials were used to "equate the test to itself." Equating sample data were generated from administration of identical item sets. Equatings that used procedures based on each model (simple…

A study was conducted of the use of outcome measurement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and states to determine whether JOBS (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills) program participants are finding employment and leaving welfare. In order to assess the progress that HHS has made in establishing outcome indicators and goals,…

Researchers examined two independent museum education studies conducted at the same large science center in Toronto, Canada, and considered the implications of both studies for museum education. Study "A" explored museum development practice and its relation to casual visitor understandings of key concepts. Study "B" engaged…

A researcher examined his experiences shadowing young children as they participated in a voluntary transfer and desegregation program that allowed their parents to choose to send them to schools outside their home district. This paper describes the practice of shadowing and discusses some of the issues involved in this technique. There are three…

Until the 1960s the rule of science was a characteristic of modernity in academic life. Since then, a postmodern trend has been running counter to a faith in a universal and objective scientific methodology. Postmodernists have taught us that there are no single truths, that there are many valuable perspectives, and that the line between the…

This collection is based on the fact that employment, housing, and consumer rights and opportunities are often inextricably linked and mutually dependent. The papers explore aspects of creating a national report card on discrimination, assessing the role that testing and other social science methodologies might play in its formulation. The papers…

This paper presents key results from a four-stage 15-year followup survey of deaf and hard of hearing graduates from 47 colleges and universities. The study also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of long-term alumni surveys to document institutional accountability and the effectiveness of quantitative measures to assess graduates'…

The objective of this paper is to present a method for extracting value from the research literature that should benefit educational practitioners. This method, called Convergent Analysis (CA), comprises the following steps. First, this focused question must be posed whose answer can benefit educational practitioners: under what conditions do…

The "Education Statistics Quarterly" gives a comprehensive overview of work done across all parts of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Each issue contains short publications, summaries, and descriptions that cover all NCES publications and data products released during a 3-month period. Each message also contains a…

This monograph reviews issues in research on the effects of using accommodations for students with disabilities who are included in educational assessments, particularly state and district assessments. Following an introductory overview, a section provides background on the need for good research on accommodations. The paper then defines commonly…

This report is the second in a series of biennial, state-by-state 50-state report cards. As in the earlier report, state higher education systems are evaluated, compared, and graded in five categories of performance: preparation, participation, affordability, completion, and benefits. All states are given an "incomplete" in the sixth category,…

Sociocultural perspectives of education and educative processes occupy center stage in educational research and mathematics education, and this is a natural reaction to the recent dominance of reductionist psychological theories. This paper wants to make public an ongoing discussion related to the compatibility of the psychological and…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), through the Education Statistics Services Institute, supported the research in this report to help frame future discussions about the use of video research techniques in educational settings. This paper addresses the context of technological, legal, and ethical change facing researchers who use…

The advent of the World Wide Web as a platform for the dissemination of survey instruments to diverse populations and the electronic recording of response data has changed the timeliness and cost effectiveness of survey administration. The implications of the new ability to track response behavior patterns will have a major impact on the field of…