Competent readers use strategies automatically; moreover, the use of strategies is a natural part of their reading process. Interested in the effects of the direct teaching of strategies to poor readers, a researcher decided to use a classroom action research approach. She studied reading strategies used by competent readers before, during, and…

This report discusses the findings of a study that examined what states know about several aspects of accountability for students with disabilities at the district level. As part of an annual survey of states conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes, state directors of special education from all 50 states answered questions on…

This report summarizes current National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) programs, including its major publications and plans for future work. In addition to updating the descriptions of long-standing data collections, such as the Common Core of Data, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and the National Assessment of…

Identifying the growing interest in early childhood programs and services, this paper offers practical guidelines for collecting accurate and useful information about early childhood services in a particular country or region, focusing on data collection and system monitoring. The paper discusses how programs develop out of policy decisions and…

Learning science in today's classroom does not have to be restricted to text-based curricular resources. Web sites present learners with a wide range of science activities in various formats ranging from text-only information to providing authentic real-time data sets and interactive simulations. This paper discusses reasons for using the Internet…

This document highlights the problems with current federal education program data collection activities and lists several factors that make movement toward a possible solution, then discusses the vision for the Integrated Performance and Benchmarking System (IPBS), a vision of an Internet-based system for harvesting information from states about…

Noting that obtaining facts and figures on important policy issues related to children is the critical first step toward identifying what is working and what needs improvement, this Kids Count guide is designed to help local community members find and use data on the condition of children and families in Minnesota. The guide describes how to…

This study investigated the feasibility of collecting enrollment data on distance learning programs sponsored by private institutions within and outside of Washington State. E-commerce developments have allowed in-state independent providers and out-of-state public institutions to serve residents of Washington State, and many nontraditional…

This report summarizes the current statistical programs of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), including its major publications and plans for future work. It updates the descriptions of long-standing data collections such as the Common Core of Data, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and the National Assessment of…

This document is a report from Los Angeles community colleges on how community colleges may better determine the transfer rates of their students. The proposal states that, due to problems with data collection, calculating a community college's transfer rate is not easy. The California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) reports the number…

This document is the third of four prepared for Phase 1 of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civics Education Study. The more than 20 countries that participated were asked to gather data to answer four Core International Framing Questions (CIFQs). Volume 2 explains the process from which the CIFQs…

This summary sets out the main findings of an eighteen month research project into the development of basic skills support in colleges of further education in England and Wales. The research was commissioned by the Basic Skills Agency and undertaken by the University of Central England and Bilston Community College. The research was based on…

To provide information about states' efforts to track implementation of key provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA), this study examined: state goals for student proficiency and their implications for whether schools will meet those goals; factors that facilitated or impeded state and school district implementation efforts; and how the…

A statewide evaluation in Idaho addressed whether teachers changed in teaching philosophy and technology skills following summer in-service workshops and whether these changes sustained themselves in the face of school year and classroom realities. The timing of data collection is an important factor to consider when interpreting program outcomes.…