| Summary: | The base year of the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) of 2002 represents the first stage of a major longitudinal effort designed to provide trend data about critical transitions experienced by students as they proceed through high school and into postsecondary education or their careers. The 2002 sophomore cohort will be followed, initially at 2-year intervals, to collect policy-relevant data about educational processes and outcomes, especially as such data pertain to student learning, predictors of dropping out, and high school effects on students' access to, and success in, postsecondary education and the work force. Part 1, Student-Level Data, is comprised of data from assessments of students (achievement tests in mathematics and reading), surveys of students, surveys of parents, and surveys of teachers. The student assessments measured achievement in mathematics and reading, and they provided baseline scores that can serve as a covariate or control variable for later analyses. The student questionnaire gathered information about the student's background, school experiences and activities, plans and goals for the future, employment and out-of-school experiences, language background, and psychological orientation toward learning. One parent of each participating sophomore was asked to respond to a parent survey. The parent questionnaire was designed to gauge parental aspirations for the child, home background and the home education support system, the child's educational history prior to 10th grade, and parental interactions with and opinions about the student's school. For each student enrolled in English or mathematics, a teacher was also selected to participate in a teacher survey. The teacher questionnaire collected the teacher's evaluations of the student and provided information about the teacher's background and activities. Part 2, School-Level Data, is comprised of data from surveys of school administrators, surveys of librarians, and a facilities checklist (completed by survey administrators, based on their observations at the school). The school administrator questionnaire collected information on the school in six areas: school characteristics, student characteristics, teaching staff characteristics, school policies and programs, technology, and school governance and climate. The head librarian or media center director at each school was asked to complete a library media center questionnaire that inquired into the school's library media center facility, its staffing, its technological resources, collection and expenditures, and scheduling and transactions. The facilities checklist was a brief observational form completed for each school. It collected information about the condition of school buildings and facilities.
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