This paper examines the development and evaluation of criterion-referenced measures, and elaborates on the distinction between them and norm-referenced measures. The concept of sensitivity is introduced as an appropriate method for evaluating such measures, and a sensitivity index is proposed. The traditional model for the response of a subject to…

Information on the development and testing of a model of spatial diffusion and adoption of an agricultural innovation is presented. The data concern the practice of artificial insemination of cattle in southern Sweden. The model is intended to predict the time at which adoption occurred in terms of the time at which the innovation became available…

An instrument for analyzing ethnic studies curriculum materials for grades K-12 is presented. The Social Science Education Consortium (SSEC), Inc. staff designed the analysis instrument to check ethnic accuracy of materials as an aid to classroom teachers who are preparing ethnic studies curriculum. The booklet is divided into two main sections.…

This document describes the development of an observation instrument which could provide an objective record of the content of the learning environment in the early childhood classroom. A team of early childhood specialists explored the critical dimensions of the preschool experience and developed a series of descriptive categories in terms of…

Data from a survey of 1,300 four-year undergraduate colleges are analyzed to determine the status of religion studies. Characteristics of public, private, nonsectarian, and denominational institutions were examined to define the contexts in which religion departments exist. Evidence indicates that, although religion is increasingly part of the…

Survey results summarize junior-high-school use of Canadian and non-Canadian oriented materials, resources, and activities in the borough of North York, Ontario. A questionnaire completed by 187 teachers inquired about use of textbooks and unpublished material, resource people, and field trips. Focus on Canadian culture was identified whenever it…

In terms of productivity proportional to the number of graduates, private liberal arts colleges continue to be a predominant undergraduate source of natural science doctorates for both women and men. However, the institutions subsumed under the category of liberal arts colleges are not the same for the two sexes. (MLW)

Systemic efforts to implement data-based decision making at the school and classroom level face several challenges. First, most data available within district information systems are limited to what has been deemed important for the operational needs of schools and the district. Second, educational organizations have little experience integrating…

EFL learners from three language institutes in Brazil answered the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning--SILL--to self-report how they go about learning English. They emerged as balanced users of various strategies with a tendency to use metacognitive and social strategies to learn the language. This tendency, further reinforced by factor…

Commissioned by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to assess the status of data collection activities in the museum community, this report reinforces recommendations made by a similar 1998 study, addressing the need for systematic data collection to inform public policy and museum management decision-making. The report examines a…

This paper addresses two audiences--those who design education trend studies that simultaneously have longitudinal and intercohort implications, and the secondary analysts who use such trend data. Four study series conducted for the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provide material for the paper: the…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated differences in vocational rehabilitation (VR) services (expenditures, number, and duration) and outcomes (competitive sector placement and earnings) of consumers designated as legally blind in states with separate or combined (cross-disability) agencies. The sample included 35,396…

This volume in the Research in Management series is devoted to the field of leadership--a look at where it has been and where it seems to be going. A "Foreword" (Linda L. Neider, Chester A. Schriesheim) is followed by seven chapters highlighting creative, new looks at leadership and adept analyses of leadership theories that have already…

Cost analysis makes it possible to establish how much things costs, set budgets, determine prices, and compare the costs of different options. In distance education (DE), the main areas of cost analysis are as follows: print-based correspondence systems; educational/institutional television and radio systems; multimedia systems, and e-education…

Promoting ACademic Excellence in Mathematics and Science for Workers of the 21st Century (PACE) was a consortium project made up of Indiana University Northwest, the Gary Community Schools, and the Merrillville Community Schools. The focus of this project was to prepare teachers and curricula for Tech Prep mathematics and science courses for the…