A follow-up study was conducted to investigate the long-term impact of using nearly $8 million of vocational education special-project funds in California community colleges. The study did not evaluate the projects themselves but assessed what had occurred afterward as a result of the funding. That is, the project identified and described program…

Evaluation, as currently practiced in vocational education, may not contribute to program improvement; in fact, it may be counterproductive. Rather than asking how evaluations can be improved, it might be better to ask if a relationship does, in fact, exist between evaluation and program improvement and, if such a relationship exists, what new…

This special edition contains the background material prepared for the Indian Health Service (IHS) Mental Health Program Review session of January 17-19, 1984 which reviewed the background of the Mental Health Program, assessed the major current management and programmatic issues, and developed recommendations for improving the program. The Review…

This handbook provides step-by-step procedures through which a task force can examine a school's reading program and can define goals and objectives for the future. Charts are provided to aid in the following processes: gathering data about the population served; assessing the current reading program and assigning priorities for improvement;…

The author, Executive Director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, examines the state of physical education in secondary school programs and presents twelve commonalities of quality physical education programs. Those common characteristics are identified as: (1) high student and staff morale; (2) frequent methods…

Content summaries are presented for two national conferences (one in Washington, D.C., the other in San Francisco) designed to bring together prime sponsors, vocational educators, and representatives from industry to take a reading of how CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) programs were progressing and to explore ways of utilizing…

The Discrepancy Evaluation Model (DEM), developed in 1966 by Malcolm Provus, provides information for program assessment and program improvement. Under the DEM, evaluation is defined as the comparison of an actual performance to a desired standard. The DEM embodies five stages of evaluation based upon a program's natural development: program…

Levels of Use (LOU) interviews can be used for formative evaluation purposes in an intermediate education agency. Programs and services for training teachers provided to districts are evaluated. LOU interviews give program staff unique information for improving programs. Program improvement is aided by LOU interviews because information is…

The Comprehensive Basic Skills Program Review was designed by the New Jersey State Department of Education to provide a diagnosis of problems contributing to inadequate achievement in the basic skills. Local program reviews followed the state developed process and were conducted by many schools. The process analyzed the existing school programs…

An evaluation was conducted of the Bedford County (Virginia) career education project, K-12, for the 1975-76 school year. The results of the evaluation were organized around three major information domains: (1) student self-concept; (2) student awareness of the world of work; and (3) teacher in-service activities and use of career education…

The document presents a formative evaluation of 13 Canadian studies kits being developed in Alberta, Canada. The objective was to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the kits as well as to determine whether the program development model was effective in producing quality materials. Quality was defined in terms of internal consistency,…

This report reviews the effectiveness of national evaluation activities undertaken by the United States Office of Education, Office of Evaluation and Dissemination (OED) with regard to Title I compensatory education programs. Three major evaluations undertaken by the OED and technical assistance activities developed by the OED are described and…

The Job Corps offers a complete range of human resource development to disadvantaged youth. Its success in improving the employment opportunities and earnings of participants has been significant. With the improvements envisioned under the current expansion proposals, the program will become even more effective in providing jobs and career…

This report describes the national workshop program and participating states' follow-up activities which were a part of an administrators' national training program to improve vocational programs' cost effectiveness. It consists of an introduction and three additional chapters. Chapter 2 presents a summary of developmental strategies, nominal…

This article identifies and describes 10 program characteristics considered to be essential for an effective early childhood program. These characteristics include: (1) target specification; (2) procedures for addressing assessed and experientially perceived needs of children and other target groups; (3) realistic goals with measurable outcome…