Examines problem areas of training needs analysis (TNA), first by presenting a model of the TNA process, then by listing sources of data available for TNA (based on an analysis of the literature), and finally by proposing a method of choosing appropriate data-gathering techniques for TNA. (CT)

Demonstrating program impact through documentation of child progress is a problem in programs for handicapped children. It is proposed that intervenors consider approaches closely tied to the actual interventions. Four strategies are described: increased magnitude of intervention, increased power of design, refined assessment procedures, and…

This is a report of a hearing on December 10, 1981, before the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, regarding reauthorization of the Vocational Education Act of 1963. It focuses on the vocational education data system known as VEDS. Testimony includes…

The following information is necessary for schools wishing to measure and manage equity: (1) expenditures broken down by cost center, with the cost centers designed to overlay selected equity objectives; (2) per-pupil costs; (3) achievement profiles; (4) longitudinal data on a small sample of students; and (5) attitude surveys. (PS)

Argues that the field of educational administration can and should develop a systematic, cumulative, and practice-oriented body of knowledge to inform administrative practice that concentrates on practical appplications, maximizing student achievement, and the effects of administrative actions. (Author/WD)

The authors describe the development and use of a structured, data base approach to developing individual education programs for special education students. The components of the "Data-Based Program Modification" (DBPM) approach are described to include five decision areas: problem selection; program selection (least restrictive yet most…

The use of meta-analysis of patient education research as reported by Steven A. Mazzuca in a 1981 conference paper is critiqued. The way that Mazucca's meta-analysis conforms to the criteria for effective conduct of the six methodological tasks of integrative reviews as specified by Jackson (1980) is assessed. The extent to which meta-analysis…

Three types of macro-level variables for program analysis--cultural, economic and demographic--provide a context for evaluation and offer alternative explanations for program success or failure. The problems of causality and availability of data, as well as the usefulness of macro variables in meta evaluation are discussed. (Author/CM)

Presents a theoretical discussion of evaluation research and the need for gathering data to support the decision-making process concerned with training program performance. Guidelines for conducting evaluation research are discussed, the participants involved with successful implementation are described, and data gathering methods are explained.…

An overview is presented on action research and practical inquiry, with attention to the initial phase of starting this approach, gathering data, analyzing the results, sharing findings, and judging the quality of action research and practical inquiry. Gifted education practitioners are encouraged to share action research findings. (SW)

The paper presents a model to assist administrators of special education programs for multiply handicapped children in making budgetary decisions and in evaluating therapy programs. The model's use requires that the efficiency and effectiveness of the various therapeutic services be measured and that the service needs of the multiply handicapped…

In August 1996 Jay P. Greene, Paul E. Peterson, and Jiangtao Du, with Leesa Boeger and Curtis L. Frazier, issued a report called "The Effectiveness of School Choice in Milwaukee." The report, referred to as GPDBF, presented data that indicated that low-income minority students in their third and fourth years of participation in the…

The use of quantitative approaches to the management of higher education and implications for legislative concerns are considered. Among the new developments and practices that illustrate the use of quantitative approaches to management are the following: basic structures for categorizing programs and activities for reporting and analysis;…

The Abt Associates' final report on the Follow-Through Planned Variation Experiment is defended against the critique published by a blue ribbon panel funded by the Ford Foundation. In contrast to the conclusions drawn by House, Glass, McLean, and Walker that Follow Through showed no "winners" or "losers", the National…

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, and cardiac rehabilitation, a form of post-MI (myocardial infarction) education, accounts for at most 20% of improved lifestyle behavior that can effectively manage symptoms, delay or prevent subsequent attacks, and lower mortality and morbidity rates. In an attempt to improve…