Universities in Europe have been playing an increasingly important role in the institutional evaluation of political and social systems for the last thirty years. Their major contribution to those processes of accountability has been to add methods and safeguards of evaluative research. In this paper we report an illustration of how evaluative…

Career development practitioners understand that the value of career and employment services extends beyond attachment to the labor market. However, "soft" outcomes such as increased self-efficacy and improved ability to manage transitions are difficult to measure. Convincing funders and policy makers of the significance of such outcomes…

The article provides an overview of benefit cost analysis and its limitations and reviews the applications of benefit-cost analysis within vocational programs for persons with severe disabilities. Recommendations are made to assist state and program developers in choosing among program alternatives. (Author/DB)

Using selected concepts, format, and techniques from the legal arena, the Judicial Evaluation Model was used to assess the efficacy of linkage arrangements between the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act prime sponsors and education service providers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. (PN)

A research project was done to develop a methodology for a national evaluation of the employer services program conducted by the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) at State and local levels. Two program evaluation methodologies, each requiring different approaches and resource expenditure, were developed that could provide the needed…

A summary of the final report analyzing the Federal Bonding Program includes an overview, historical summary and analysis, summary of findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The bonding program provides fidelity bonding for individuals who are normally excluded from insurance policy bonding, including ex-offenders, enabling them to work at…

The study reported here was performed to develop the Productivity Measurement System (PMS), a method for measuring the productivity of State employment service agencies (SESA) that utilize other productivity measures besides placements, which is the measure used in the current system, Research Allocation Formula (RAF). Chapter 1 covers the purpose…

The Federal Bonding Program, providing fidelity bonding for individuals excluded from insurance policy bonding and thus ineligible for certain types of employment, is analyzed. The first section of the document contains a brief history of the program, a discussion of the data analysis approach, a series of 36 summary findings, conclusions, and…

Texas is shifting to an integrated, systems-oriented approach to providing work force services for its residents and employers in which all services are guided by a single mission and vision. Implementation strategies are clearly focused on achieving common results. Accountability means being able to ensure taxpayers, residents, employers, and…

This paper offers an initial assessment of Texas' work force development evaluation and performance management efforts. Following an overview, section 2 clarifies distinctions between performance management and evaluation responsibilities such as purpose, definition, information produced, general question asked, and key questions addressed.…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed the performance measurement system of the Department of Labor's (DOL's) Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), which administers programs and activities designed to help veterans obtain employment and training assistance. The GAO review focused on the following items: VETS' proposed…

This guide, which is based on a 12-month study that examined the feasibility of and procedures for evaluating federal, state, and local supported employment programs for individuals with severe disabilities, discusses recommended data items and measures and presents guidelines for developing a data collection strategy and implementation plan.…

In January 1998-March 2000, a new statistical assessment and referral system to improve the job retention of welfare recipients participating in welfare-to-work programs was piloted in the welfare-to-work program serving two counties in southwestern Michigan. The assessment and referral system is based on statistical methods and uses…

Texas is developing a return-on-investment (ROI) measure to assess the cost-effectiveness of work force programs. Emphasis is on issues related to conducting cross-program ROI analysis at the level of the Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) in career or one-stop centers. To make the most appropriate and effective use of ROI, the following…

The study attempted a comprehensive evaluation of the process and product of a school-based job placement model operating in three Pennsylvania area vocational schools (AVTS). Random samples of AVTS and sending school seniors were post-tested on employability skills. Students, parents, school personnel, employers, Bureau of Employment Security…