This manual has been produced to familiarize data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing of the first follow-up dropout component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Necessary documentation is also provided for use of the data files. The base-year population covered by the NELS:88 included…

The goal of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is long-term employability. To obtain feedback on the effectiveness of JTPA programs in promoting retention in the labor force, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) requires states and service delivery areas (SDAs) to collect information on the postprogram outcomes of JTPA participants. This…

This manual contains descriptions of all required and optional data elements used by LONESTAR, the computer-based student follow-up and tracking system developed for Texas community colleges. For each element, the following information is provided: (1) element title (i.e., the official name used in all references to the element in tracking system…

This manual was produced to familiarize data users with the procedures followed in data collection and processing of the fifth follow-up survey of the National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72) and to provide documentation for use of the file. The data file is a computerized data base, which is available on magnetic…

A study was undertaken to improve the quality of student follow-up data submitted by the California community colleges in compliance with federal Vocational Education Data System (VEDS) reporting requirements. The objectives of the study were to conduct a follow-up of vocational education students from 14 community colleges, standardizing data…

Although successful dropout assistance programs depend on effective implementation, casework, and long-term followup activities, the literature only occasionally addresses these practices. This article reviews data collection problems, major risk factors, reforms aimed at actual and potential dropouts, and alternative school programs. Second…

Student tracking systems are enabling increasing numbers of community colleges to respond to external demands for accountability with tangible measurements of student progress and institutional outcomes. Several recent trends in marketing, accountability, communications with students, and internal competition for resources have prompted interest…

A study examined ways of improving the response rates of employers to followup surveys collecting information on graduates of community colleges in Florida. Followup study procedures and instruments that had been used in the state were modified to provide for greater faculty involvement in placement of students and identification of employers and…

This module, one in a series of competency-based guidance program training packages, focuses on specific professional and paraprofessional competencies of guidance personnel. Modules in Category C suggest how to conduct, accomplish, or carry out selected career guidance program activities. The purpose of this module is to help career guidance…

This manual provides a model for tracking the progress of special education and high-risk students who have completed secondary schooling. The manual includes a literature review, procedures for development of a followup system, a bibliography of over 200 followup materials, and a three-part followup instrument. Samples of followup instruments…

Accountability in two-year college vocational education assumes that colleges have knowledge of students' goals while they are attending college and have the capacity to follow-up on students to determine whether those goals were achieved. One measure of goal achievement is employment or further enrollment in fields in which students have been…

This paper examines considerations for designing a postschool follow-up system in secondary special education, focusing on survey research techniques and special applications of survey methodologies, including data collection techniques, questionnaire construction, sample design and contact, response rates, and tracking procedures. Design and…

Project MAP (Model Accounting Plan) is designed to test a demographic system for monitoring the within-school and post-school transitions of special education participants. Implemented at the local level, this system produces data to inform school-level decision-making. In addition, the data that are produced can be aggregated for use at higher…

This booklet is designed to assist beginning and experienced teachers in public and private vocational education programs in evaluating the performance of present and past students as a means of gaining insight into the effectiveness of vocational programming and instruction. Discussed first are issues and procedures involved in process and…

This guide is intended to assist states and service delivery areas (SDAs) in addressing the new oversight responsibilities and opportunities stipulated by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with respect to planning and conducting a gross impact evaluation. The following topics are covered in the individual chapters: introduction and overview…