In the spring of 1974, a sample of educators and educator-related groups in Alabama was asked to rate the importance of the 26 Alabama Right-to-Read Criteria for a successful reading program. In a second round of the study, a summary of round one results was sent to the entire sample, and ratings of the 26 criteria were again requested. Results…

This report consists of excerpts from manuscripts and oral presentations, summaries of group work and individual evaluation forms, quotations from taped interviews, and editorial paraphrases that highlight the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) institute program on higher education's role in inservice education. Eight…

This article discusses the problems of gay addicts in a drug and alcohol abuse therapeutic community. Suggestions are made to improve the situation so that gay addicts need not be devious in their actions or scorned by other members of the therapeutic community. (EJT)

Suggests that successful evaluation projects for training programs focus on management decisions. Provides a checklist of concerns that deal with the effectiveness, efficiency, and relevance of the program. Discusses the selection of the data level and decision-making criteria. (CSS)

In Great Britain, apprenticeship is regarded as the traditional means of entry into skilled occupations. Covers some apprenticeship characteristics, arguments for and against apprenticeships, efforts made by Industrial Training Boards to improve the quality of apprentice training, and training criteria that must be met for government funding of…

Documented here is the story of how a small town's recreation department, faced with limited resources of its own, mobilized diverse members of the community to fill the gaps in its summer recreation program. New activities--free daily lunches, girls' softball, canoe lessons--were instituted, and a unique citizen partnership was forged. (Author/DS)

Guidance is provided to organizational personnel in establishing a means for assessing the effectiveness of a new performance appraisal system. (TA)

Reports results of a University of Connecticut study in which business administration graduate students in a manpower management course ranked six major functions of a competent personnel department according to perceived importance. A description of the course is included. (TA)

Presents a model or classification scheme for the types of information that could be collected to aid in formative evaluation of career education instructional products, and compares professional and legal product directives to conduct educational product evaluation to evaluation science's weak response to these mandates. (Editor/TA)

The ratio of rehabilitant earnings to the mean earnings of those persons in the general population with similar demographic characteristics has been proposed as a meaningful criterion of rehabilitant placement suitability. The Cooper-Rubin index was developed to generate a relative placement suitability score for each rehabilitant. (Author)

Program theory can be used to improve programs and policies. This article describes a set of techniques for complicating and simplifying program theory, referred to as conceptual and action heuristics. Methods such as analyzing metaphors, clarifying concepts, mapping, component assessment, causal modeling, and decision analysis are discussed. (JAZ)

Presents the results of telephone interviews, self-questionnaires, and site visits of 48 state child protective service offices regarding policies, procedures and protocols for handling complaints of abuse and neglect in children's institutions. Institutional child protection is seen as a relatively unformed appendage of interfamiliar child…

Do proficiency tests show whether students are gifted? Are programs for the talented properly funded? Confusion among programs for gifted students indicates that guidelines should be established, including weighing the gifted label for each program and linking programs to special talents. References included. (CJH)

Five obstacles that may serve as barriers to the internal reform of teacher education programs emerged as powerful factors during a year-long case study of a curriculum improvement program. These obstacles and their implications for curriculum improvement in teacher education programs are discussed. (MT)

The author suggests new ways to meet the needs of adult students: develop greater sensitivity to the adult learner's needs; adopt a "total program approach" to adult vocational education; develop creative delivery systems; build alliances with other providers of adult education; and give more attention to adult instructor selection, orientation,…