Systemic efforts to strengthen teacher preparation in Louisiana led to the first statewide value-added assessment (VAA) of teacher preparation programs (TPPs). Subsequently, a number of states have adopted VAA of TPPs. The authors describe challenges that were confronted around the deployment of Louisiana's VAA of TPPs. The discussion is organized…

The purpose of this Policy Impact Snapshot is to identify the major categories of career and technical education (CTE) currently available within our nation's secondary and postsecondary education systems and describe the existing research on whether these programs are achieving desired outcomes for students. This Policy Impact Snapshot describes…

Recent work has shown that many state supported school counseling programs have not developed working statewide program evaluation schemas. This study examined two exemplary examples of state level program evaluation. Mixed-method case studies were created and then analyzed across cases to reveal common themes and best practices. The findings…

These three papers were delivered as part of a conference panel that was intended to alert advisory councils to the precarious situation of vocational education in the United States today. The first paper, "Crisis Issues in Vocational Education and Training" by Charles R. Doty, makes a case for establishing a program to finance full-time…

The educational reform movement has caused parents, students, businesspersons, and legislators to question the relevance of vocational education. Charges that vocational education has become obsolete have compelled vocational educators to work on improving its image in three areas--function, quality, and style. The vocational education programs in…

A study examined implementation of the accountability and program provisions of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990 (Perkins II) in four unnamed states that were "early adopters" of the Perkins II measures and standards. In each state, staff in the state agencies administering secondary and…

This plan for implementing the redesign and refocus of vocational education in West Virginia includes a mission statement and five other major sections covering career orientation, secondary vocational education, adult education, modernization, and personnel development. The career orientation program includes developmental guidance, student…

The goal of the Ad Hoc Technical Committee for Vocational Agriculture in Indiana was to develop a model and recommendations that would result in improved student knowledge and skills for the present and future, address labor market needs, and promote program excellence at all levels of education. The committee developed recommendations for…

Although Michigan has one of the best trained work forces in the nation, the skill gap between what the marketplace needs and what its workers can offer is continuing to widen. Michigan must develop an adult training and education system that is customer driven and customer sensitive, emphasizes shared responsibility of stakeholders, empowers…

The Illinois Council on Vocational Education (ICOVE) has tried to influence educational policy in recent years. Members of the council met with the chief executive officers of the three educational boards in Illinois to discuss issues and pending policies paramount within the educational arena. ICOVE also met with members of the various education…

One- to four-page summaries are presented of fifty-seven of the 1978 annual reports of the State Advisory Councils of Vocational Education. Most of the reports, which are arranged alphabetically by state, address the effectiveness of vocational education programs, services, and activities in meeting the objectives as set forth in the state plan…

More than 60 studies on prison education were reviewed to determine the following: relationship between prison education and offender behavior; effects of prison population control strategies on prison education programs; and effects of academic and vocational program participation on inmate misconduct and reincarceration. Among the main findings…

This product of the Leadership Training Institute/Vocational and Special Education contains a series of policy papers focusing on the impact of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) provision upon vocational education programming for handicapped youth. Nine papers are included: (1) Legislative Issues and Perspectives: IEPs for Handicapped…

The ways states are improving their literacy services for adults with disabilities were examined through a national survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) and National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) and case studies of three states: Oklahoma, Illinois, and Connecticut. The OVAE/NIFL…

In the spring of 1985 a task force comprising private sector representatives was convened to formulate recommendations regarding the development of an overall policy framework for employment and training and related systems in Virginia. The task force was asked to focus their efforts on the following policy areas: training and retraining the adult…