The presentation of statistics in administrator preparation programs is often irrelevant to administrative realities, fails to integrate appropriate teaching technologies, and stresses inferential statistics over statistical strategies for improving skills in problem analysis, program and student evaluation, data-based decision making, and report…

Using research findings and statistics to support a policy argument often leads to misinterpretations and exaggerations of public school performance. Two experts illustrate this point by discussing examples of distorted high school drop-out rates, student performance on standardized tests, and international comparisons of U.S. and Japanese…

Examines Ocracoke English (OE), a dialect of American English spoken on Ocracoke Island, located off the coast of North Carolina. The article presents linguistic and sociolinguistic evidence that OE is an endangered dialect and describes the development of a community-based preservation program paralleling proactive programs implemented for…

Supports the theory of level ordering by demonstrating, on the basis of productive morphology and phonology, that Turkish has four lexical levels. The first is the principle of Level Economy, which accounts for systematic exceptionality. The second is Level Prespecification, which exempts a root entirely from early lexical levels. Both of these…

Explores the use of ethnographic case studies and cultural novels as a way to observe a group of people in a school setting and then use that knowledge for administrative decision making. The theory and process of incorporating a "novels" project into a course for future school administrators are discussed. (SLD)

Structural equation modeling using the LISREL VI program was used to investigate predictors of female university students' participation in mathematics and science courses. Contributing significantly to the model were self-perceived mathematical ability, quality of experience in mathematics and science courses, importance to self-concept of…

To manage Web-based resources effectively, librarians must evaluate vendor-supplied data about their use. Identifies aspects of data collection librarians need to pay special attention to, recommends that vendors report the maximum number of simultaneous users per day and data gaps in addition to International Coalition of Library Consortia…

Attempts to determine the consistency with which students report their ethnic background by comparing two sources of self-reported ethnic data: an application form and an interest inventory. Finds that students do not always select the same ethnicity on different forms. Suggests that inconsistency is aggravated by: (1) phrasing of items; (2)…

Presents a lesson plan in which students explore ideas about rural and urban areas by examining census data and advertisements from magazines. Discusses how the students collect and record the census data and calculate percentages, representing them on circle graphs. Includes an extension activity. (CMK)

This paper seeks to contribute to the literature of management education by evaluating assessment data on Babson College's integrated undergraduate management core program (IMC). Transitions from functionally isolated curricula to more integrated alternatives involve both benefits and costs, accruing to faculty, students and sponsoring…

This research examined 9- to 15-year-old children's understandings about basic genetics concepts and how they integrated those understandings with their broader theories of biology. A cross-sectional case study method was used to explore the students' (n = 90) understandings of basic inheritance and molecular genetics concepts such as gene and…

Under Deputy Secretary of Education Michael Golden's leadership, Pennsylvania has made great strides over the last two years developing useful informational tools to assist the Commonwealth's many school districts. While the School District of Philadelphia, along with the other districts, has worked collaboratively with the Commonwealth in this…

This article discusses the importance of measurement in providing a foundation for mathematical study and how measurement can be integrated with other mathematical strands. (Contains 1 table.)

This article describes an investigation involving several designs of airplane wings in trial flight simulations based on a NASA CONNECT program. Students' experiences with data collection and interpretation are highlighted. (Contains 5 figures.)

Hierarchical linear modeling (HIM) is an approach used in data analysis to better understand how program outcomes are affected by the "nested" nature of data collected in many studies. An outcome can be considered variables such as an individual's self-efficacy, social skills, or more targeted outcomes such as demonstrated reading and mathematical…