This brief, the second in the series, advances a theory of change that centers the learner experience in strategies to improve institutional data collection and use and strengthen college information management systems. It is the second in the Advance CTE's Advancing Postsecondary CTE Data Quality Initiative (PDI) series highlighting five states…

Youth apprenticeship programs can give students access to valuable work-based learning experiences that provide insights into how their interest can connect to education and the workforce. Although these programs are often beneficial for participants, there is little data to show the programmatic landscape and impact. There are many challenges…

U.S. employers are struggling to find qualified applicants across a range of career sectors. In 12 career areas--including healthcare, computers and mathematics--demand for workers exceeded available supply by a total of 4.4 million job openings in 2016. This gap threatens the economy, undermines the innovation and competitiveness in many of the…

A comprehensive study of the vocational education needs, services, and funding in the State of Washington was made and recommendations provided to the State Legislature based on analysis of the data collected. The total study report was issued in two parts. This document, Part One of the study, summarizes the major findings and presents…

This study focused on determining the applicability of a mathematical modeling technique (goal programing) to state-level vocational education planning, using Missouri as a test case. Results indicate that such models may help the vocational planner solve problems that cannot be solved by more conventional methods. (SK)

Four agencies are involved in the U.S. Department of Education's vocational education data collection and reporting activities, as mandated by the 1990 Perkins Act: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES); Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE); National Institute of Postsecondary Education and Lifelong Learning (NIPELL); and…

Although most school districts and schools are routinely involved in data collection, they do not typically use the data they collect in a systematic fashion to identify strengths and weaknesses and develop improvement strategies. One reason for the lack of data use is the perception that the data are being collected for someone else's purposes.…

This handbook presents a secondary program evaluation system to improve the quality of Oregon state-approved, secondary vocational education programs. Section 1 describes this evaluation system. It discusses the three levels of evaluation. The design includes provisions for review of Oregon minimum standards, federal and state vocational education…

This guide provides an outline of the components necessary in a written evaluation plan for vocational education programs. The four components that a plan for evaluation should include are described. The first component, the specific goals of the evaluation process, is divided into these two sections determined by the type of evaluation conducted:…

The concept, focus, operation, and benefits of Florida's data-based, locally directed vocational education evaluation program is described. (BM)

A study analyzed data on the nature and scope of vocational education programs in Arizona in order to supply information on the pool of trained workers produced annually by vocational education programs. The study examined data from secondary schools, community colleges, and proprietary schools to gain information about the numbers of people…

To help vocational education administrators and practitioners, this paper presents a framework for vocational education program evaluation. Evaluation is defined as the act of rendering judgments to determine a program's value; two major types are formative and summative. Vocational education evaluation should take a broader and more comprehensive…

A plan was developed to improve followup study response rates by refining techniques for data collection and improving student motivation to respond to daily requests. Factors affecting response rate to followup surveys were investigated, and alternative approaches were recommended. Findings indicated that current procedures--two mailouts of…

A study of Arizona vocational education follow-up systems was designed to survey problems in and promising practices for developing information systems to provide useful data for decision making. Interviews with state, county, college, and school district personnel revealed that the major problem faced by those conducting follow-up studies at both…

A comprehensive study of the vocational education needs, services, and funding in the State of Washington is described and documented in this report. The total study report was issued in two parts. Part One of the study, available in this issue as VT 021 097, summarizes the major findings and presents recommendations for improvement of vocational…