Designed to protect the privacy of individual student test scores, grades, and other education records, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 places limits the access of educational researches, and slows research not only in education but also in related fields, such as child welfare and health. Recent trends have converged to greatly increase the supply of data on student performance in public schools. Education policies now emphasize education standards and testing to measure progress toward those standards, as well as rigorous education research. At the same time, private firms and public agencies, including schools, have replaced most paper records with electronic data systems. Although these databases represent a rich source of longitudinal data, researchers' access to the individually identifiable data they contain is limited by the privacy protections of FERPA. To explore possibilities for data access and confidentiality in compliance with FERPA and with the Common Rule for the Protection of Human Subjects, the National Academies and the American Educational Research Association convened the Workshop on Protecting Student Records and Facilitating Education Research in April 2008.

The primary purpose of this document is to help state & local education agencies & schools develop adequate policies & procedures to protect information about students & their families from improper release, while satisfying the need for school officials to make sound management, instructional, & service decisions. Sections include: a primer for privacy; summary of key federal laws; protecting the privacy of individuals during the data collection process; securing the privacy of data maintained & used within an agency; providing parents access to their child's records; & releasing information outside an agency. 5 appendices.

The low demonstrable effect of education research done in South Africa in particular – and Africa in general – continues to be a problem in scientific records in the educational sciences. This scholarly collected work addresses this obstacle and focuses on recommendations from scholars in different sectorial categories in the field of education. Scholars from a variety of sub-fields within the educational sciences reflect on this particular matter, revisiting the history of research and research outcomes and offering informed recommendations based on in-depth investigation and analysis of aspects of the various discourses within the relevant sub-fields. The scope of the content of this collected work centres on the issue of the lack of scientific records concerning the scientific raising of the impact of education research. The book aims at making a specific contribution to the educational sciences by stimulating scholarly discussion around how to increase the recording of the significance of educational research done in Africa, and in South Africa in particular, and to redirect the research agenda into the direction of making more impact. Impact is conceptualised to mean both scholarly impact (that is being cited and being used as foundation for theory building and for further research) and practical impact (that is improvement of practice, teaching and learning in education institutions at all levels).

Research Methods in Education introduces research methods as an integrated set of techniques for investigating questions about the educational world. This lively, innovative text helps students connect technique and substance, appreciate the value of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and make ethical research decisions. It weaves actual research "stories" into the presentation of research topics, and it emphasizes validity, authenticity, and practical significance as overarching research goals. The text is divided into three sections: Foundations of Research (5 chapters), Research Design and Data Collection (7 chapters), and Analyzing and Reporting Data (3 chapters). This tripartite conceptual framework honors traditional quantitative approaches while reflecting the growing popularity of qualitative studies, mixed method designs, and school-based techniques. This approach provides a comprehensive, conceptually unified, and well-written introduction to the exciting but complex field of educational research.

Educational Research is a highly readable text that provides students with a clear and in-depth understanding of the different kinds of research--including technology-based--that are used in education today. The text introduces students to the fundamental logic of empirical research and explores the sources of research ideas. Detailed descriptions guide students through the design and implementation of actual research studies with a balanced examination of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research, serving as one of the book′s strongest features. While quantitative research strategies are covered extensively, the text also discusses various qualitative approaches such as ethnography, historical methods, phenomenology, grounded theory, and case studies. The authors present detailed, step-by-step coverage of the key elements of research, including sampling techniques, ethical considerations, data collection methods, measurement, judging validity, experimental and non-experimental methods, descriptive and inferential statistics, qualitative data analysis, and report preparation.