Accountability, in the sense of educational efficiency, has popular political appeal in Australia. Yet there is urgent need for Australian educators to influence how accountability is to be defined and to determine how it is to be implemented at the school level. One useful definition of accountability, satisfactory to both teachers and the…

Using a system that monitors just the process of education does not guarantee positive student outcomes. What education needs is a consistent set of accountability procedures for all students. As educators take steps toward a new and inclusive accountability system, they need to look at: (1) possible alternative approaches to accountability; (2)…

Extracurricular activities in secondary schools are an important part of student preparation for adult life. This document presents guidelines on the components, administration, and evaluation of student activities. It suggests that a comprehensive activity program should include student government, publications, cultural activities, service…

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.…

This planning guide is divided into two sections. Section I presents a rationale for and definition of outreach for the field of rehabilitation. Section II is a training guide which provides specific information and planning procedures necessary to design and evaluate outreach programs. This section leads the agency management staff through…

The eight articles of this issue examine the nature of differences that arise between qualitative and quantitative researchers in program evaluation in terms of goals and epistemologies. The origins of these differences and their consequences are explored. Authors represent both perspectives but do not defend their ideological turfs. (SLD)

This study examined the relationship between schools and community education in Scotland from September 1996 to April 1998, and provides a national overview and identifies examples of effective practice in collaboration and joint provision between schools and community education. The study was undertaken in two stages. The first stage provided a…

This document contains four peer-reviewed papers about university-level aviation education that were presented at the 1998 Fall Education Conference of the University Aviation Association. "Setting the Foundation for Effective Learning: Utilizing the Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor Domains to Establish Rigorous Performance Learning…

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…

Seven papers are presented that demonstrate new directions and practices in the evaluation of training programs. Different perspectives and approaches are represented, but in each case the evaluation described has been successful in making trainers more effective and accountable. (SLD)

Seven chapters present 31 propositions challenging traditional ideas about the nature and practice of program evaluation. Methods to improve evaluation models and approaches and ways to address intermediate and advanced evaluation issues are explored. The discussion also serves as an introduction to the most analytical and comprehensive of the…

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…

This paper summarizes the proceedings of a conference held to discuss evaluation in vocational education. The agenda included welcome speeches and the introductory address by Robert Savy, President of the Regional Council of Limousin (France); an opening session with statements from representatives of the Commission of the European Communities…

This journal, designed as a forum for the exchange of ideas among research and planning professionals, offers articles of research studies and practices. After Timothy Lightfield highlights upcoming professional association events, Janice S. Ancarrow's article, "The National Vocational Education Data Reporting and Accounting System (VEDS): Its…