While there are severe limitations on the availability, comparability, and reliability of education statistics for the United States and other major foreign nations, a comparison of data reveals that the relative ranking of the United States among other nations with respect to educational participation in general is high, but that it is low in…

In the late 1970s, the Department of Defense requested that the reference population for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) be changed and updated to reflect the current youth population. Analyses of new data collected in 1980 indicated that speeded subtest scores of the new sample were atypically low and that the sample might…

The goal of this mini-unit is to teach elementary students economic concepts related to consumerism and to develop problem-solving skills. Students test a product such as sugarless bubble gum and study how it is advertised. The students then make their own advertisement for the product. (RM)

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated differences in vocational rehabilitation (VR) services (expenditures, number, and duration) and outcomes (competitive sector placement and earnings) of consumers designated as legally blind in states with separate or combined (cross-disability) agencies. The sample included 35,396…

A consensus has emerged in recent years that the fragmented systems serving children and families need to be restructured and integrated in ways that make them accessible, family-focused, and able to accommodate cultural differences. Collaborative partnerships involving schools, families, and other community stakeholders are learning that they are…

A discussion of in-depth interviewing as a method for research on language teaching and learning situates the technique within the continuum of research methodology and differentiates it from quantitative research methods. The strengths and weaknesses of in-depth interviewing are examined, methods of sampling are discussed, and advice on the…

This document highlights the National Education 2001 Summit (held in Palisades, Ne York, October 9-10, 2001) in which government, business, and education leaders considered ways to raise standards and achievement in U.S. schools, offering state teaching, testing, and accountability activities, data on progress since 1966, and public supports for…

Discusses which kinds of data educators should respect and which they should reject. Asserts that most state accountability tests fail to produce the kinds of data that will improve teaching and learning. Teachers can get the data they need from their own instructionally useful classroom assessments. (WFA)

Exposes erroneous ideas related to the use of databases for teaching thinking skills. Reviews the importance of databases for teaching social studies; describes the teacher's role in helping students use databases; discusses effective teaching strategies; and outlines what is needed to teach thinking skills. (Author/LS)

Describes how the database software QUEST was used with 10- to 11-year-old students in London by utilizing a multidisciplinary, project-based approach. The collection, collation, and interpretation of data are emphasized, and areas of educational development that benefited are discussed, including language, self responsibility, and hypothesis…

Proposes three types of supplementary problems to develop students' skill in interpretation of graphically represented data. Eleven examples are presented and solved for the following types of problems: comparison of one quantity to another, comparison of two quantities that each depend on a common parameter, and reasonable data prediction. (MDH)

Describes a project consisting of reanalyzing survey data showing Asian-American science and engineering majors to be less content with their undergraduate experiences and their field of study than other students. Results raised the question as to whether Asian Americans were really less content or whether their style of responding instead…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 calls for improving test scores of minority students in third through eighth grades, making middle level schools a key venue for closing the racial gap in achievement. This study, by analyzing data on the 15,000 eighth graders who took the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics,…

This paper examines the link between language and power as it relates to program evaluation of the Brisbane School of Distance Education. This program was developed in 1989 to meet the educational needs of children who are part of the Showmen's Guild of Australasia. Guild members and their families travel from town to town putting on agricultural…

This guide contains activities that emphasize hands-on involvement, prediction, data collection and interpretation, teamwork, and problem solving. It begins with background information on the history of rocketry, scientific principles, and practical rocketry. Following the background sections are a series of activities that demonstrate the basic…