This discussion paper is intended to inform the further development of the National Research and Evaluation Strategy (NRES) by strengthening its focus on evaluation in Australian vocational education and training (VET). Chapter 1 discusses the implications for the role of evaluation that changes in VET have caused in the past decade. Chapter 2…

This paper offers the perspective of one chair of a large English department in a medium-sized regional comprehensive institution on the practicalities of implementing departmental assessment and program change. The discussion focuses on the complex ways in which institutional engagement, state politics, and demographic change interact, and it…

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, implemented through a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Education and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, provides grants to communities to fund public schools as community education centers. The community education centers are intended to allow students after-school…

The fourth session of the UNEVOC International Advisory Committee was opened by Colin N. Power, whose welcoming address emphasized the importance of technical and vocational education (TVE) for socioeconomic development of UNESCO's member states. He pointed out that this sector of education is facing serious challenges posed by the recent trends…

The Even Start Family Literacy Program is a national program designed to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by working with low-income families to improve adult literacy, parenting skills, and developmental and preschool readiness of young children in the family. The Monongalia County (West Virginia) Even Start Program is unusual in that…

Survival Skills for Youth (SSY) is a life skills management program developed for out-of-school youth who have a history of failure in academic or employment settings, or who are considered at-risk for failure in the adult world of work. The skills taught are grouped into 10 areas, one skill category per workshop. The workshops include up to 15…

This introduction to a reference guide for early childhood special education personnel in North Dakota discusses the purpose of the guidelines, the North Dakota philosophy on the importance of early intervention programs, and quality indicators of early intervention programs. The highlighted quality indicators of early childhood programs include:…

The current approach to dealing with childhood lead poisoning has led to repeated diagnoses of poisoning because such children are treated and then returned to their hazardous environments. This handbook, the third in a three-volume set, provides examples of specific materials currently or recently used in ongoing state and local childhood lead…

This study compared preservice teachers' perceptions of their changing philosophies of education, comparing the reports of graduates from traditional, university-based programs with reports of graduates from intensive field-based programs. For eight semesters, teacher education graduates received a program evaluation survey in the mail 2 weeks…

The impact of educational reforms in Brazil has been assessed by the Brazilian Evaluation System of Basic Education (SAEB), a tool designed to measure the cognitive achievement of students. The SAEB comprises tests of Portuguese grammar and writing, mathematics, and science. Schools have used the SAEB mainly for comparisons among groups of…

A study surveyed 44 skills centers in The Gambia through a questionnaire, evaluated them regarding vocational training, and conducted on-site research of 17 targeted centers. Findings were as follows: most operated as private organizations; the retention rate was an average of 84%; centers operated with an average student/staff ratio of about 12:1…

This paper describes an institutional research office's use of extensive senior survey data to examine indirectly the effectiveness of a career services early intervention program over a period of four years. The study compared responses on the senior survey by participants (N=200) in the sophomore career exploration seminar with responses of…

The annotated bibliography lists albums, picture books, stories, novels, informational books, songs, and readings appropriate for children in grades K-3 in French immersion programs. An introductory section gives an overview of the bibliography and its use. The bibliography itself is divided into two sections, one citing literature of importance…

This paper describes a project in which teacher education students were paired with practicing teachers for a semester-long e-mail conversation about classroom accommodations for students with learning disabilities (LD). The objective of the project was to enable undergraduate teacher education students planning to teach students with learning…

In 1998, Trident Technical College conducted the 1997 Employer Follow-Up Survey to collect information from employers of 1997 graduates. A total of 373 employers of graduates were identified, of which 243 were contacted and interviewed. Findings indicate that employers rate graduates average or above average in most technical and personal skills.…