Includes "A New Vocational Education Act" (Anderson-Yates, Washburn); "Program Evaluation and Improvement under Perkins 1990" (Stadt); "The U.S. Department of Education's Perspective of Postsecondary Technical Training Needs" (Brand); and "The Tech Prep/Associate Degree Program" (Parnell). (JOW)

Program improvement is the theme of eight articles in this issue. Articles discuss collaborative relationships, strengthening programs, outcomes-based education and tech prep, improving adult education, futures studies, program evaluation, and supervised agricultural experience. (JOW)

Examined whether preschool quality could be enhanced through competence development in teaching staff simultaneous to organizational changes and financial cutbacks. Tested a model for competence development with an intervention group that took part in a competence development program. Found that the development work led to a higher quality in…

In the 2004-05 school year, at a time of nationwide debate regarding the rigor of the high school diploma and the value of school-to-work programs, Chesapeake Public Schools (CPS) conducted an evaluation of the preparation of their students for the job market. The results of the evaluation did not substantiate widespread concern that the high…

This issue of "The Evaluation Exchange" describes new developments in evaluating advocacy and policy change efforts that attempt to inform or influence public policy at the local, state, or federal levels. Heather B. Weiss introduces the themes in this issue in "From the Director's Desk," examining how evaluation of advocacy…

States, school districts, and schools across the country are increasingly implementing multi-tier systems of support (MTSS) to improve outcomes for all students. Kansas is no exception. The Kansas MTSS is designed to improve outcomes for all students by instituting system-level change across the classroom, school, district, and state. Such…

It has become accepted wisdom that there is a shortage of leaders in the library profession. A number of leader and leadership development programs have emerged in Australia, Canada and the United States that attract interested participants, yet what is the core purpose of these programs? Do they work? Review of leadership programs reveals that…

The Mississippi Community College Fellowship Program (MCCFP), a project of the Department of Educational Leadership at Mississippi State University, is designed to assist in the identification, development, and training of the state's future community college leaders. Two participants are nominated by each of the 16 public community college…

The Model Career Option Program (MCOP), mandated in 1988 by the Louisiana Legislature, provided funds to pay superior teachers additional salaries for performing a variety of additional services. There were three option categories for teachers in the 1991-92 school years: (1) mentor or peer consultant; (2) supplemental teacher; and (3) staff or…

This book reviews the effectiveness of job training programs in the United States, concentrating on the most recent and most sophisticated evaluations. Chapter 1 identifies seven differences between education and job training. Chapter 2 describes the types of job training programs that are examined. Chapter 3 outlines the preferred methodology in…

In March 1994, Quebec's Commission on the Evaluation of Collegiate Teaching initiated an evaluation of "Techniques d'education en services de garde" (TESG) programs, or educational methods in child care services. This report presents results from the evaluation in three parts. The first section describes the following four stages of the…

A project was conducted in Georgia to improve the quality of youth apprenticeship programs by identifying and validating a benchmarking system leading toward the establishment of a set of common, valued quality components and indicators for use by local educational agencies. Project activities were undertaken to accomplish the following: (1)…

This paper provides a description of the Minority Graduate Fellowship Program created by the School of Education, Human Services and Humanities at the West Virginia Graduate College. The program's purpose is to increase the minority presence within its faculty, recruit minorities to this geographical area, and to assist young professionals with…

This is the first report on a series of evaluative studies being undertaken by the Council on Teacher Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for its preservice teacher education programs. When fully implemented, the program will include information from graduates (1 and 3 years following graduation), from current students (upon…

This fact sheet discusses the outcome of a study designed to understand the needs of American Indians with disabilities who may have problems that limit their ability to carry out daily activities. Thirty-two American Indians with disabilities were interviewed in three counties in northwest New Mexico regarding the things they used or needed…