A past president of the American Vocational Association addresses a number of issues in vocational education, including financial support, institutional versus on-the-job training, the dropout problem, and the success of vocational education in meeting its objectives. (Author/IRT)

Structured decomposition is explained as a process of reduction to parts of an educational program. Resulting substructures aid in an overview of the entire entity. (RAO)

This study of a large New York City program found that three fifths of the patients who entered treatment had terminated before the end of the second year. (Author/AM)

The Colleges of Education Learning Programmes Project attempts to encourate the use of educational technology in education and the training of teachers. This article describes some of its activities and gives the findings of a small scale independent evaluation of the Project. (JY)

Some questions about the relationship between program evaluation and forecasting are raised. Contrasting the two fields in terms of mind-set, purpose, problems, advantages, and use shows that although their modes of inquiry are indeed very different in many ways, there is interdependence between the two in several areas. (Author/JAZ)

A summative, follow-up evaluation of an inservice program, Project TIME, focuses on intrinsic and extrinsic factors of three major aspects: program effectiveness, program efficiency, and program acceptability. The approach can be used to improve program effectiveness and to determine the classroom generalization of teachers' skills, knowledge, and…

The author discusses the procedural plan for the National Assessment of Vocational Education. The plan has five study areas: (1) Perkins Act implementation, (2) access of special populations, (3) secondary vocational education, (4) postsecondary vocational education, and (5) the changing economy and its skill requirements. (CH)

The author comments on significant methodological issues emerging from substantial studies of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act which are highly relevant to evaluations of the Job Training Partnership Act. (JOW)

Four principles of taking statistical uncertainty into account when estimating and reporting effects are discussed. Means of implementing the principles, ways in which the principles are violated in practice, implications for the use of multiple methods, effect size, estimation techniques, and random and nonrandom certainty are described. (TJH)

Many purposes can be served by using multiple dependent variables (MDVs) in program evaluations, and the application of path analysis to multiple measures can increase both conceptual and statistical power. Alternative types of MDV designs are described and evaluated. (Author/TJH)

In a study of a managerial training program, two subsamples of co-workers (supervisors and subordinates) were used to validate the participants' assessments of program impact. Use of subsamples provided support in direction and magnitude of the participants' assessments and generally strengthened the validity of the findings. (TJH)

Argues that substantive rules of debate, instituted by the National Debate Tournament Committee, are both ineffective and counterproductive. Critiques the rule restricting evidence reading after a debate and the rule requiring judges to compare definitions when evaluating topicality arguments. Concludes that substantive rules should be rescinded…

Using a stratified random sample, this study surveyed the practices of program evaluators. Practices factored into four patterns: academic evaluation, stakeholder service evaluation, decision-driven evaluation, and outcome evaluation. (RB)

Discusses whether the programmatics of educational science, as a course of study leading to a diploma, can still claim validity. Using social work as an example, the author claims that due to curtailment of the welfare state and revitalization of scientific rationality, the programmatic concept of this course of studies has lost its plausibility.…

Article provides short descriptions of the impact evaluation of the Schools Council and the Regional Educational Laboratories. The article contends that the way impact evaluation is done depends on key factors, such as the scope of the task, size of the institution, and the methods of government and management. (RB)