Among the results of two complementary studies on the effectiveness of Arizona secondary vocational education were the following: (1) the vocational students were more satisfied with school than the nonvocational students; (2) the vocational students felt better prepared for work; (3) the 12th-grade nonvocational students scored significantly…

Arguing that user studies and performance measures provide two major approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of library services, this occasional paper presents an overview of the literature, examines the goals and approaches in user studies and performance measures, and provides suggestions for increasing the potential benefits of both by…

Faculty members, administrators, and board members must work together to find acceptable resolutions of the problems created by under and overproduction if they hope to retain the autonomy of their colleges. Underproduction is illustrated in insufficient attention to community employment needs, inadequate quality control in career programs, poor…

The bibliographies cited give numerous references in each of nine areas: criterion-referenced tests, educational accountability, evaluation criteria, evaluation methods, evaluation techniques, functional literacy/illiteracy, performance criteria, performance specifications, and program effectiveness. References were compiled from an exhaustive…

In recognition of the need for guidance services to be accountable for their portion of the educational process, this guide was designed for the development of a competency-based, outcome-stated plan by each school district in Texas. The guide covers the five phases of the planning process and the counselor competencies required. The format is…

It has been argued that the answer to public and political demands for a more responsive educational system lies in the practice of accountability. The future implementation of program budgeting may offer an attractive vehicle for accountability. Currently, many California school districts use the California Educational Information System (CEIS)…

In Great Britain, apprenticeship is regarded as the traditional means of entry into skilled occupations. Covers some apprenticeship characteristics, arguments for and against apprenticeships, efforts made by Industrial Training Boards to improve the quality of apprentice training, and training criteria that must be met for government funding of…

This paper examines the conditions under which it is appropriate to use a productivity framework for evaluating education and human service programs. It also discusses three specific limitations on the applicability of productivity analyses. (Author/AM)

Pressure for greater accountability is being exerted on programs for care of terminally ill and increasing demand for evaluation research. Components, implications, and limitations of evaluation systems are discussed, and their application in the terminal care setting addressed. Buckingham evaluation of hospice home care service is cited as a…

Guidance is provided to organizational personnel in establishing a means for assessing the effectiveness of a new performance appraisal system. (TA)

Six deficits of this model are discussed: disparity in proponent prowess, fallible arbiters, excessive confidence in the model's potency, difficulties in framing the proposition in a manner amenable to adversary resolution, "a cat's-paw for biased decision makers," and, excessive costs. (Author/JM)

Outlines the objectives and responsibilities of state and local education agencies and urges their cooperation so that children will receive adequate nutritional benefits and develop into productive citizens. (MLF)

Goal 9 of twelve Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Challenge to Lead goals is that every school regardless of its student population, location or surrounding economic circumstances has a leader who can work with faculty to increase student learning. This report discusses progress toward this goal since 2002 in the 16 SREB states. It also is…

Dr. Jo Lynne DeMary, Virginia's state superintendent of public instruction, requested that the Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia work in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education and Petersburg City Schools to design and test the Partnership for Achieving Successful Schools Initiative (PA+SS) Model IV Intervention. The goal…

This issue is the second in a three-part series on quality teaching. The other two issues in the series focus on teacher recruitment and teachers' career structures and work environment. This issue examines research and expert consensus on teacher preparation, looking at: the importance of subject matter knowledge to effective teaching and…