This paper reviews the sections of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) that provide for using competencies gained by youth as evaluation tools. The paper discusses the types of competencies that youths should gain by such programs and how they should be measured, as an alternative to traditional program-based evaluation. The paper is organized…

This report reviews the changing role of labor unions in the United States today and proposes actions to increase union membership and strength in the future. The report is organized in 10 sections. The first section describes changes in the work force, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. It is followed by sections describing (1) the failure of…

This handbook was developed for the purpose of providing drug and alcohol prevention program managers with a comprehensive yet easy-to-use tool to help their evaluation efforts. The handbook emphasizes program staff members working together as a team. It provides instruments and activities for determining program effectiveness, as well as…

National competitiveness depends in large part on the practical application of technologies. Educational planners must, therefore, identify key (newly emerging) topics in science and engineering that are likely to have a major evolutionary effect on industry and incorporate these areas into existing vocational and technical curricula. Because…

Because the structure of a writing program establishes its content and values, a writing program should be integrated with other aspects of English studies to avoid being merely an add-on to the college English department. Several planning strategies can assist in promoting this integration. A writing program should involve all related campus…

This paper offers a conceptual model or theory that synthesizes previous research, personal experience, and years of dialogue with instructors of wilderness programs, and other wilderness users. The goals of this model are to create a useful tool to help practitioners improve their programs and train instructors, focus additional research, help…

The Wilderness Vision Quest is an outdoor retreat which helps participants touch, explore, and develop important latent human resources such as imagination, intuition, creativity, inspiration, and insight. Through the careful and focused use of techniques such as deep relaxation, reflective writing, visualization, guided imagery, symbolic drawing,…

This 10-section commission report contains an overview of veterans' education benefits and recommendations for changes in veterans' education policy. The first three sections state the principles and assumptions of the study on which the report is based, summarize the commission's recommendations, and outline the commission's organization and…

A summary is presented of a study that solicited perceptions and recommendations from recent graduates of state-supported colleges and universities on undergraduate teacher education in Virginia. Interviews were conducted with 100 teachers who had completed one full year of teaching and their principals. Interviews were also held with 70 teachers…

This document contains two congressional hearings on the present apprenticeship programs to determine whether they are effective in producing the needed skilled craftspersons. The hearings also focus on how the apprenticeship training systems may be improved to meet the ever-changing needs of industry. Testimony includes statements, prepared…

Prepared as part of a program to develop both a system to assess information needs of teacher education decision makers and impact strategies to increase the probability that teacher educators will make appropriate use of research and development findings and products, this document reports on the literature review that led to the initial…

Issues and strategies to enhance the growth of undergraduate social work education programs are described. The six issues discussed apply to either undergraduate programs that are autonomous social work programs (such as departments of social work) or to programs located in sociology departments, combined with sociology, or combined with other…

The TAFE (Technical and Further Education) National Centre for Research and Development conducted a survey to determine industry needs for quality training in Australia. Interviews were conducted with managers in manufacturing and tourism/hospitality companies throughout Australia, especially with firms with a high reputation. Interview forms were…

Much of the evaluation of vocational education at the state and local levels has been conducted in response to federal legislation. Although some of the evaluative information has been useful for program improvement, much has been collected only for compliance with federal and state mandates. The educational reform movement has prompted school…

A study investigated the value of professional certification within the context of Massachusetts manufacturing companies with reported sales of at least $10 million but no more than $25 million. The specific certification evaluated was that of Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) as awarded by the American Production and…