Higher education insiders trumpet the use of results for improvement as the most important part of the assessment cycle. Yet, at the same time, we acknowledge the rarity of improvement, especially at a program level. What are some reasons the most important phase of assessment occurs so infrequently? To seek answers, we investigated the "Use…

This case study uses evidence collected for accreditation and programme improvement at a small university Master's and certification programme in Educational Leadership Development to describe efforts to help leadership candidates use data during the programme's final internship experience. Programme features supporting the growth of candidates'…

Head Start has long focused on assessing and improving program quality to ensure that the children served receive the best possible preparation for school and life. Most research has been focused inside the classroom--the classroom environment, teacher qualifications, and teacher interactions. Of course, the classroom is important because that is…

This paper discusses evaluation of human service programs. Evaluation can be useful because: (1) evaluative data can be relevant to the basic goal of a demonstration to field test some strategy or technique; (2) process evaluation can help generate enthusiasm for self-improvement among staff; (3) evaluation can help build a communication network…

A survey of administrators, teachers, and parents in 15 Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I school districts indicated that evaluations are used locally to meet federal and state requirements, to inform parents and staff, and to confirm positive attitudes toward a program. Standardized achievement tests, the backbone of Title I evaluations,…

A study examined the relationship between vocational-technical education (including guidance) and apprenticeship. The existing literature was examined, and key issues in this relationship were identified. These issues were then validated through personal interviews with a sample of state guidance leaders. The information gathered during these…

A study investigated linkages between adult community education (ACE) and mainstream vocational education and training (VET) in Australia, which enable people to move between the two sectors in their pursuit of vocational learning, and the ways in which linkages might be improved or new ones developed. The data from the study were derived from 69…

This document reports on a project undertaken to determine the feasibility of a periodic national survey of a sample of U.S. school districts to obtain information on the performance of the existing dissemination and utilization network for educational innovations. All the cases in this volume were originally identified from a national survey of…

A study was conducted to assess the potential use of available supply/demand data in planning for secondary vocational education programs in Tennessee. Literature was reviewed for ideas and an analysis was made of the data in the Tennessee Occupational Information System (TOIS). In addition, expert opinion was collected from a selected group of 12…

A national literature search was conducted on the state of the art that identified linkage activities and model linkage programs; a survey and follow-up questionnaire that identified 107 exemplary projects and received materials on 40 of them; and visits to 30 projects in the Chicago area and Illinois, California, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio,…

A report described the current context, realities, and research and development needs of local level vocational education planning to provide a foundation for improving local level planning technology. Examination of the legislative context for vocational education planning revealed that interagency coordination and consultation, use of data about…