This report presents results of a series of studies documenting current practices in the evaluation of gifted programs and investigating the factors which make evaluation more useful to decision-makers. The investigation involved establishing several databases containing three kinds of information: (1) abstracts of articles relating to evaluation…

This document contains data about the results of the Kansas Writing Assessment for 1999. Because administration conditions of the assessment vary widely, the results must be interpreted with caution. Year-to-year state data are considered not comparable, but they are reported in the interests of consistency. Comparisons among districts should not…

This brief report summarizes trends in student borrowing based on data from the 1992-93 and 1995-96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies. Major findings include: (1) between 1992-98 and 1994-96, the percentage of undergraduate students attending four-year institutions who borrowed from federal loan programs during the academic year increased…

National evaluation of Head Start bilingual curriculum development project indicated bilingual children receiving bilingual preschool services made greater preschool gains than comparison group children receiving regular English-language preschool services; English-preferring children placed in bilingual classrooms achieved similar preschool…

Utilizing "Social Indicators" (1979), discusses growth and distribution of schooling in the U.S., trends in student test performance, and major organizational changes in elementary/secondary education. Comments on quality of available data and suggests improvements for future reporting of educational indicators. (Reprint of article is available…

A broad range of strategies in sampling, measurement, design, execution, implementation, and analysis are examined. Specific strategies are suggested that tend to be successful in the real world of psychiatric clinical research. (Author)

Examines in 13 articles, three areas of change in family research methodology. Considers major determinants of change in the subject matter of family studies. Addresses the central measurement problem of family studies, i.e., relationships. Presents illustrative examples of the advancement of research technologies in family studies. (RC)

Title I Evaluation models using uniform procedures and data collection for state and national comparisons are interpreted as federal endorsement of basic, common competencies in reading and mathematics. Basic competencies, content homogeneity, conversion methodology, and validity of the evaluation are discussed. (MH)

Argues that data analysis problems can be used successfully in large introductory microbiology courses, even when exams consist entirely of multiple-choice questions and out-of-class contact with the instructor is limited. Discusses course organization, problem structure, student performance and response, advantages of using data analysis…

Examines the effectiveness of different methods of improving the pronunciation of students of English-as-a-Second-Language studying in Great Britain and evaluates the significance of instruction as a factor affecting pronunciation. Findings reveal that successful acquisition of second-language pronunciation is affected by training, aptitude for…

Illustrates how Radial Basis Function (RBF) network techniques can be used to explore questions concerning authorship of historic documents. Demonstrates the utility and potential for using quantitative techniques to assist in the decision-making process in relatively subjective disciplines. Compares RBF neural network techniques with more…

Discusses the discourse strategies that status-unequal interlocutors use in expressing disagreement. Reveals semantic formulas as influenced by the role relationships and compares and contrasts the discourse strategies used by native speakers of Turkish and American English for the same speech event in order to obtain a cross-culture perspective.…

Describes a strategy to teach research skills using U.S. census data and microcomputers. Outlines a data-entry system which can be used to verify large amounts of information. States that students will be able to learn commands for more complicated manipulation of data. May be used with any good relational database software package. (KO)

Results of a study of 30 Indonesian fifth-grade teachers support the value of intensive, research-based teacher training programs in changing teacher behavior and increasing teacher effectiveness. The effect of such programs appears limited to those behaviors and outcomes which reflect the primary focus or emphasis of the program. (IAH)

Presents an activity in which students collect and organize data from a real-world simulation of the scientific concept of half life. Students collect data using a marble sifter, analyze the data using a graphing calculator, and determine an appropriate mathematical model. Includes reproducible worksheets. (MDH)