It is difficult to conduct randomized field experiments. In the past decade, the use of alternative randomization plans and incentives has contributed to their operational feasibility; legal, ethical, and professional arguments for experimentation have matured; and expectations have become better aligned with practical constraints that are likely…

Research is reviewed on the interaction patterns of individuals using augmentative and alternative communication systems. Major findings and limitations of interaction studies are highlighted, focusing on methodological approaches, subjects, partners, contexts and sampling procedures, and measures and data analyses. Directions for future research…

Presents suggestions for making statistical topics interesting and relevant in the classroom. For each of the topics, a general discussion is followed by a suggested teaching sequence with specific activities and examples. (PK)

Using data from the High School and Beyond, this article presents statistical procedures to estimate the effect of dropping out of high school on cognitive achievement test scores. Each sampled dropout is matched to a student remaining in the same school. Methods for addressing the possible omission of covariates are described. (BS)

In the past, most colleges and universities have been slow to respond to the effects of globalization and to incorporate foreign languages and international education as a critical part of their expectations for undergraduate learning. The public, in contrast, appears to have different expectations. This report highlights the findings of two…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics that is designed to provide information on educational issues that can best be studied through contacting households rather than educational institutions. This report compares the information collected through telephone…

In 1987 the U.S. Census Bureau created a universe of private elementary and secondary schools for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This universe has been updated every 2 years through list frame updating and area frame updating. For the list frame updating, lists of private schools are obtained from various associations around…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics that concentrates on aspects of education that can best be addressed through contacts with households rather than institutions. The NHES is a telephone survey of the noninstitutionalized civilian population of the United…

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the 2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000). NPSAS:2000 included notable changes from previous NPSAS surveys (conducted in 1987, 1990, 1993, and 1996) in its sample design and collection of data. For example, this study is the first to restrict institutional sampling to…

Karnataka (India) recorded impressive growth in the 1990s, with state income growing at 8% per annum, driven largely by expansion of the industrial and service sectors. However, this impressive performance has not reduced rural poverty levels or regional disparities to a great extent. This report addresses three major concerns of policy makers in…

This technical report documents the methodology of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) base year survey of eighth graders through the 1992 second followup survey of high school students and dropouts. Chapter 1 begins with an overview and history of the NELS:88 and its database, Chapter 2 contains a description of the data…

The Private School Universe Survey (PSS) is a mail survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census under the sponsorship of the National Center for Education Statistics. The survey is designed to provide data relating to all private schools in the United States, but the private schools' list frame remains incomplete despite the best efforts to…

This research deals with the development and study of a methodological alternative to those few tests commonly employed in the measurement of aesthetic preference, and an attempt to determine whether the preferences of elementary school children are for "realistic" or "abstract" types of paintings. (Author)

The present experiment was performed in order to investigate learning efficiency within four different ethnic groups: black, white, Chinese-American, and Spanish-American. In all groups, sampling was confined to children from low-socioeconomic-status communities. (Author)

Two field-tests were carried out for the purpose of assembling data from which the teaching effectiveness of a programmed text could be determined. (Author)