Despite growing evidence about the significance of Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs, public investment has been relatively low, resulting in slower expansion of evidence-based ECD programs. This dissertation consists of three essays on conducting and using economic evaluation methods to scale up early childhood education and development…

Illustrates the need for process evaluation as part of cost-effectiveness/benefit studies. Identifies reasons for ineffectiveness in three outcomes for cost-effectiveness/ benefit analysis (enrollment, completion, employment), and suggests some general strategies for program improvement. (CT)

An overview of programs initiated by state governments shows considerable diversity in approach and methodology. Five major areas of activity include training, quality circles, health cost containment, incentive systems, and employee appreciation activities. Problems reviewed in this article include limitations in program scope, degrees of support…

Twelve training experts discuss their views on the efficacy of sales training in relation to organizational budget and sales success. (WL)

Describes the Instructional Quality Inventory (IQI) for formative evaluation of systematically developed instructional programs, its classification scheme for objectives and test items, and procedures for checking programs for adequacy, consistency and presentation. Accounts of two studies are given to support the usefulness of the IQI. (EAO)

A task force operating under The Education Commission of the States made five major proposals relating to vocational-technical education: (1) that a human resources council be developed with responsibility for long-range goals for a total community context of education, (2) that an occupational education commission provide leadership and stimulate…

This report, the first in a three-volume study evaluating federally-supported day care in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, contains a discussion of various issues related to the use of federal standards for day care services and presents four optional strategies for upgrading the quality of day care in the four states. Each strategy includes…

The evaluation process provides valuable information so that practitioners may share and benchmark their efforts to improve and enhance the quality of the educational reform initiative called tech prep. Evaluation should be part of every phase of a tech prep initiative, from needs assessment to completion. A tech prep program is typically at one…

This booklet is designed primarily as an instructional manual for staff inservice training in fulfilling professional obligations for accountability. Important factors in bringing about accountability are people and systems--people assess the need, consent to meet the need, and contract to be responsible for specific standards of performance. The…

A study examined ways of reducing the costs of technical and vocational education in developing countries. The major study activities were as follows: an extensive literature search; interviews with individuals experienced in designing and delivering vocational programs for developing countries; field investigations in Thailand and Nigeria; and an…

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--through the explicit and implicit shelter allowance provided under Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and General Assistance--spends at least $10 billion a year on housing assistance, or about as much as the Department of Housing and…

Two major areas of concern to vocational education are cost benefit and job and task analysis. In recent years vocational education has broadened its outlook in terms of general human development, but the historical context of vocational education and concerns for accountability require evaluation of vocational education programs to consider cost…

This document, one of 12 guides that have been developed to facilitate evaluation by and for local education agency (LEA) personnel in Illinois, covers cost and outcome analysis, a method of relating both monetary and nonmonetary returns to investments for the purpose of improving program planning and decision making. Throughout this activity, the…

Agricultural extension is one component in an array including research, training, education, marketing, international trade, etc. which develop together to bring about growth, and sustained growth determines the priorities for extension. These priorities depend inevitably on the stage of development of a country or region, and on the current…