This document presents a speech delivered by Chancellor Bill Goertz at the meeting of the State Board of Higher Education last November 19, 2009. In his speech, Chancellor Goertz reports that: (1) according to a Delta Cost Project report, North Dakota ranked among the top five states in regard to market-based productivity; (2) the Midwest Higher…

The process of developing the curriculum and determining educational policy in the schools of the state of Victoria, Australia, has shifted in recent years from being a function of the state bureaucracy to being a matter for collaborative decision-making among parents, students, teachers, administrators, and others involved in education. To ensure…

The development of evaluation criteria for Indiana's three-level system for delivering vocational and technical education (VTE) is described. The comprehensive program covers planning, delivery, and coordination. The coordinating body is the Indiana Commission on Vocational and Technical Education. State-level administering agencies are the…

The research and evaluation consultant for the North Carolina Advisory Council on Vocational Education summarizes the position of the National Advisory Council based on their special 1974 report entitled "Report on Urban Vocational Education" supplemented by the annual reports from 1972 to 1975. Noting that the report summarizes hearings…

The Illinois Network of Exemplary Occupational Education Programs for Handicapped and Disadvantaged Students developed demonstration programs for the handicapped at six high schools, two vocational centers, and one community college. The Network was designed to demonstrate those practices which resulted in the provision of effective services to…

An analysis of the use of a survey on a state-level conservation tillage program was conducted to assess the effects of personal influences. Personal factors influenced timeliness, user's desire for and ownership of information, interaction among decision makers and the evaluator, methodological appropriateness and quality, and use planning. (TJH)

The Parent Information Network (PIN) is an initiative of the Arizona Department of Education to involve families of special education students. Led by parents of children with special needs, PIN provides information and technical assistance to families and educators throughout the state. The primary role is to facilitate the volunteer steering…

The work of the Temporary Commission on the Future of Postsecondary Education in New York State is analyzed in this paper. Known as the Wessell Commission, it was created in June 1976 when the City University of New York (CUNY) was closed for lack of operating funds. Legislation permitting CUNY to reopen contained a provision for the comprehensive…

A cross-cutting analysis and examination of programs and services offered to at-risk students in the Michigan School-to-Work (STW) system used data from the STW Progress Measures Survey and Local Partnership Survey. Qualitative data were collected through focus group and individual interviews in seven Michigan Workforce Development Board (WDB)…

This paper presents the dual approach to item bias detection employed in the Maryland Functional Testing Program (MFTP). Using instructional objectives mandated by the Maryland State Board of Education, the MFTP develops two levels of the Maryland Functional Reading Test (MFRT) and the Maryland Functional Mathematics Tests (MFMT). These…

Case studies were conducted at the state and local level in Texas to evaluate the impact of the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act. Changes in vocational education at the state level that could be attributed to the Carl Perkins Act (CPA) included: (1) a smaller state advisory council with a majority representing business and industry; (2) a…

The lack of systematic, national data on the priority problems being experienced in the field operation of vocational education programs has been a barrier to the design of effective strategies for program improvement. The major purpose of this study was to provide a preliminary assessment of the field operation needs of vocational education. From…