As part of a project designed to identify appropriate and feasible methods of evaluating vocational education, this essay provides a perspective for evaluating vocational education in terms of outcomes. The first of four sections provides a rationale for studying educational outcomes. Section 2 focuses on the nature and meaning of outcomes and the…

The basic principles of the discrepancy evaluation model (DEM), developed by Malcolm Provus, are presented. The three concepts which are essential to DEM are defined: (1) the standard is a description of how something should be; (2) performance measures are used to find out the actual characteristics of the object being evaluated; and (3) the…

This thesaurus is designed to provide the vocational education community and its relevant audiences with a comprehensive, organized listing of outcome questions and hypotheses. The first of two sections includes a discussion of the importance as well as problems of attempting to develop a classification system for categorizing vocational outcomes.…

The educational authorities of the Member States of the European Economic Community have begun to study the evaluation of vocational training programs. The study first will probe two strategic questions: (1) evaluation--to what end and by whom should evaluation be made?; and (2) what should be evaluated? The first program slated to be evaluated is…

This document is comprised of the 1997 issues of a quarterly newsletter of the Harvard Family Research Project, designed to share new ideas and experiences in evaluating systems reform and comprehensive child and family services. The first issue focuses on evaluation methodology and includes articles on the following topics: (1) mixing evaluation…

This bibliography contains annotations of more than eighty books, review-and-synthesis papers, research reports, evaluation studies, and state-of-the-art essays. Titles are listed alphabetically within one of the following five categories: (1) data-base reports, (2) review-and-synthesis papers, (3) evaluation methodology, (4) empirical studies…

The special nature of remedial programs and the variance in definitions, components, purposes, and structures are discussed to help institutional researchers design program evaluations. The term "remedial program" is used to refer to any combination of courses, support services, testing, placement practices, and institutional policies…

The discrepancy evaluation model (DEM) specifies that evaluation consists of comparing performance with a standard, yielding discrepancy information. DEM is applied to programs in order to improve the program by making standards-performance-discrepancy cycles explicit and public. Action-oriented planning is involved in creating standards; a useful…

"Zero to Three" is a single-focus bulletin of the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families providing insight from multiple disciplines on the development of infants, toddlers, and their families. Compiling articles from participants of the Leadership Development Initiative Class of 2001-2002, this issue focuses on evaluation…

As part of a project designed to identify appropriate and feasible methods of evaluating vocational education with respect to its outcomes, this bibliography contains descriptive and evaluative annotations of a selection of empirical studies of vocational education outcomes. Following a technical introduction discussing the methodological issues…

Seven papers suggest ways in which theory informs evaluation research in the area of energy conservation. Perspectives of epistemology and methodology and political and bureaucratic issues are addressed. Examples show how theoretically informed concepts and propositions about personal choice and organizational process contribute to knowledge about…

Following a discussion of a number of objective methods of program evaluation, the author recommends a more subjective or existential model. Described briefly are the behavioral objectives model, the goal-free model, the systems analysis model, the decision-making model, the accreditation and adversary models, and the transactional model. The…

Five essays for reading instructors at two-year colleges are provided in this issue of "Forum for Reading." First, Kent Smith notes the increased recruitment of underprepared students and argues that colleges are responsible for assuring that admissions personnel, administrators, and faculty know the types of students they can and cannot…

Two problems confront the school-to-work (STW) transition initiative: the quality of STW transitions and the equity with which those experiences are distributed among different student groups, including those with disabilities. In the past, the goals of equity and quality seemed to conflict. Many persons advocating increases in quality appeared to…

Although some board members and superintendents may consider superintendent evaluation as potentially disturbing for their working relationships, such evaluations may become more appealing when considered as part of a broader system of school governance and management. What is needed is a performance appraisal system developed jointly by…