The purpose of this report is (1) to discuss the basic issues dealt with in examining the effectiveness of learning centers; (2) to relate preliminary work with learning center evaluation to the state delivery systems of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri; and (3) to identify further work which is needed to extend the initial effort. The basic…

Since 1992, Vermont has been pioneering the development of community partnerships for improving social well-being, using indicators to track success. The working definition of a community, for outcome purposes, is the area served by a school supervisory union. Vermont is divided into 60 such supervisory unions (school districts), but…

An evaluation was conducted of tech prep, a focused, sequential 6-year course of study for high school and technical college students in North Carolina, using 19 criteria that were identified as being necessary to qualify for tech prep funding. Evaluation activities carried out by the North Carolina Departments of Public Instruction and Community…

Tech prep final project reports for the 1991-92 school year submitted by participating consortia members in North Carolina were analyzed to compile a data summary. (Tech prep is a focused, sequential 6-year course of study for high school and technical college students in North Carolina.) Data for the summary were gathered from an instrument…

This report is a case study of a technical evaluation assistance project in each of four states: Alabama, California, Colorado, and Maine. (The project activities in each state included the following: becoming acquainted with the vocational education delivery system and methods of evaluation; identifying problems associated with the evaluation…

This review examined the evaluation components from 10 awarded state improvement grants designed to improve systems providing services for students with disabilities. The review examined the following aspects of the evaluation components: purposes, conceptual framework for the evaluation and systems reform, evaluation design and approaches,…

Interest in evaluating vocational and technical education has increased with changes in the federally legislated evaluation requirements and the national interest in economic development. Recommendations have stressed mastery of basic academic skills and preparation for multiple jobs during the working years. Indiana's three-level system for…

This report presents the findings of the New York State Comptroller's audit of the Education Department's management and oversight of the Preschool Handicapped Education Program. The audit notes a 68 percent increase (to $298 million) in costs during 1990-91 over the previous year, most of which is attributed to the 55 percent increase in the…

This report provides direction for assessment policy and practice in employability and work force education and training programs serving youth and adult learners in Iowa. It provides a research base for the consideration of common assessment instruments for youth and adult learners in these programs. The report first identifies existing…

This report is a comprehensive needs assessment study that provides the foundation for a statewide adult basic education (ABE) accountability system in Iowa. Data from this study, conducted in 1993-94 by the Iowa Department of Education, were collected through a survey mailed to a total of 9,700 ABE program staff, community agency contact persons,…

This collection of papers presented at a 1996 conference on children's mental health focuses on program evaluation efforts within states and systems of care. Individual papers have the following titles and authors: (1) "An Overview of State Public Mental Health Programs for Children with a Serious Emotional Disturbance" (Pamela C. Roddy); (2) "A…

This sourcebook profiles approximately 80 programs that support the redefinition, assessment, and/or enhancement of quality in community services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Direct service programs, however, are not included. The programs and activities described are subsumed under the following broad categories: (1) statewide…

The California Evaluation Improvement Project (EIP) was initiated to improve evaluation skills of educators through in-service training and to improve the use of evaluation data for program improvement by local education agencies. Four aspects of EIP are discussed: (1) determining evaluation needs; (2) selecting an appropriate service delivery…

The report describes the activities of the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (BEH), and state and local education agencies during the first year of the implementation of Public Law 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act). The report includes findings from relevant studies and court cases, data provided by states in their Annual…

This report reviews activities of phase two of a research project with the general objective of developing methodology to better assess the needs of vocational-technical education in urban areas, and specific objectives of refining the methodology developed in phase one for the Jacksonville, Florida, labor market and extending the methodology and…