Examines common assumptions about the rationality or irrationality of organizational behavior and finds that decision making occurs in a complex context that successful college/university institutional research offices must recognize and work with. Finds that emerging organizational theories suggest there are limitations on the use of data and…

Presents a strategy for using output measures to make a case for a flexible school media center schedule. Highlights include gathering the data; doing the calculations; and avoiding misinterpretation of the figures. A sidebar describes a step-by-step strategy for presenting a convincing case. Two sample charts are included. (AEF)

Describes "Studying Children in Context" as a reader- friendly book that situates studying children within the process of conducting qualitative research. Notes strengths including discussion of ethics and methods of data generation and organization, and inclusion of case studies that illuminate researchers' struggles. Notes limitations…

Describes a Washington school district's eight-step process leading to the adoption of a districtwide reading program. Includes data collection, research analysis, skill tracing, and field-testing. (PKP)

Presents a lesson for high school students in which they collect and analyze data using questions from the actual Census 2000 long form and then participate in a simulation of a local planning council meeting to consider the short- and long-term community needs. Includes the Census 2000 long form. (CMK)

In recent years, there have been numerous papers discussing the importance of improving the link between health promotion researchers and practitioners. Several reviews have been undertaken to determine the extent to which health promotion research is disseminated to, and utilized by, practitioners in the development and implementation of health…

Recent developments in the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) have produced a national pupil database (NPD) that contains information about the attainments of individual pupils. Every child in the country has been allocated a unique pupil number (UPN), which means that the academic progress of individuals can be tracked over time. It is…

This article draws attention to local and global attendance monitoring in higher education. The paper outlines benefits of attendance monitoring for both the individual learner and university, and compares traditional paper-based attendance monitoring systems with an electronic system piloted in the Business School and School of Technology at the…

This is the second part of a four-part report on data-driven decision-making. Widespread attention to school accountability, driven by state and federal mandates, has increased the stakes for all schools. These mandates have made more data available to educators at all levels, but they have not been as effective in encouraging teachers to use…

Over the past five years, the No Child Left Behind Act, with its mandates for collecting and documenting student achievement statistics, has fueled a surge in the volume of data collected by schools, districts, and state education departments. This information explosion has gone hand in hand with technology's growing affordability and…

As part of the Victorian Early Numeracy Research Project, over 1400 Victorian children in the first (Preparatory) year of school were assessed in mathematics by their classroom teachers. Using a task-based, one-to-one interview, administered during the first and last month of the school year, a picture emerged of the mathematical knowledge and…

State-of-the-art digital cameras open up enormous possibilities in the science classroom, especially when used as data collectors. Because most high school students are not fully formal thinkers, the digital camera can provide a much richer learning experience than traditional observation. Data taken through digital images can make the…

Comparisons were made between self-reports from 382 men and 51 women who had experienced sexual coercion while incarcerated. Victim data were obtained from a sample of 1,788 male inmates and 263 female inmates who responded to an anonymous written survey distributed in 10 midwestern prisons. Men reported that their perpetrators in worst-case…

Using data from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, this study analyzed the similarities and differences of variables associated with child care services for low-income families with young children with disabilities and low-income families with typically developing children. Four major variables were analyzed: access to child…

Academics are reported to be working longer hours and have less time for research because of increasing administrative and teaching demands. The traditional pattern of the academic enterprise appears to have changed. To explore whether this is indeed the case, the Experience Sampling Method [ESM], a research technique devised by Mihaly…