By asking assessment questions that have direct policy implications, a committee of Harvard advisors, faculty members, and administrators was able to implement specific and concrete on-campus advising initiatives. Only modest amounts of data were collected to effect meaningful changes in student behavior, course design, and assignments. Interviews…

Practicing physicians generally are not engaged in either the methods of performance improvement for health care or the measurement and reporting of clinical outcomes. The principal reasons are lack of compensation for such work, the perception that the work of performance improvement adds no value and is a waste of time, the lack of knowledge and…

This guide begins with background information useful to understanding Illinois' framework for implementation and evaluation of Programs of Study. It starts with a visual depiction of the relationships between activity at the federal, state and local levels that evolved to the creation of Illinois' Career Cluster Model. This Model, which is based…

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…

Each year, the Community College Survey of Student Engagement ("CCSSE") presents the results of its annual survey. These results give community colleges objective and relevant data about students' experiences at their colleges so they can better understand how effectively they are engaging their students and identify areas for improvement. This…

This article introduces the issue of articles on research assessments and rankings. It focuses on the British Research Assessment Exercises (RAEs) and New Zealand's Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF). It contrasts these with systems that are not tied to funding formulas and emphasise quality enhancement rather than quality assurance. It…

This book presents for discussion principles and issues that encourage early childhood educators to evaluate their current approaches to programming and planning for young chidren with emphasis on the individual child. The book offers the opportunity to affirm the practice of developmentally appropriate procedures and to suggest directions for…

Census data from 1990 reveal that Latinos (n=133,009) comprised 47% of California's Compton Community College District, a higher percentage than Blacks (n=91,574) who made up 32% and Whites, Asians, and others (n=60,417) who comprised 21%. This is reflected in Compton Community College's (CCC's) student population. Between fall 1994 and spring…

This book presents the results of an extended study of service integration efforts in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, and Oregon, highlighting the nature of existing service integration and the potential of systemic reform efforts. The first part of the book examines the range and complexity of current service integration efforts, offers a definition…

This monograph offers a model for a technology teacher education program that can be used in planning new programs as well as in revising and updating existing programs. A figure illustrates the Technology Teacher Education Model that consists of three elements that are held together with the "rationale." Chapter 1 focuses on the role of the…

Hawaii's system of vocational education (VE) for criminal offenders in its correctional system was reviewed. This report updates a prior study done in 1989 on vocational education in corrections and thus contains comparative information and recommendations based on the latest research findings. Fourteen specialists and administrators involved in…

An evaluation was made of secondary and postsecondary vocational-technical education in North Dakota to review progress since the passage of Public Law 101-392 in that state. Some of the findings of the postsecondary evaluation are the following: (1) between 1991 and 1993, a unique statewide tech prep initiative was begun and is in its second…

This document contains conference papers, other speeches, and supplementary material from the first International Conference on Total Quality Management (TQM) and Academic Libraries, held in 1994. The conference was comprised of four sessions, and the introductory remarks of each are included, along with transcriptions of each session's…

Focus group interviews were held with approximately 60 of the several hundred high school students who are participating in school-to-work transition programs offered through the Kalamazoo County (Michigan) Education for Employment (EFE) consortium, The 10 focus groups held involved 5-8 students each and were distributed across program types as…

This publication reviews what is known about professional development in elementary and secondary education including its organization, costs, effects on practice, and principles for guiding future professional development programs. Recent reform efforts that have put higher standards in place are examined for their effect on the practice of…