This guidance plan was prepared to assist counselors in establishing quality programs with an emphasis on work-related education and training and to serve as a model for developing competency-based and accountable programs at the local level. The first section defines guidance terms and presents an overview of basic premises for guidance program…

The booklet reviews and illustrates program evaluation methods that can be used by providers of services to handicapped infants and their families. It distinguishes between outcome evaluations to determine the effectiveness of service programs and process evaluations to describe the actual activities of service programs and their relation to…

A study sponsored by the Bureau of Adult and Community Education, Florida Department of Education, was conducted by the Center for Needs Assessment and Planning at Florida State University to compare the success of General Educational Development (GED) and traditional high school graduates at Florida's community colleges. Registrars at each of…

A study used the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Force Experience Youth Cohort to determine the labor market consequences for young people of acquiring a General Educational Development (GED) degree in 1985. Three major consequences of receiving a GED were examined: labor force participation, employment status, and hourly wages. The…

This annotated bibliography reviews 12 publications dealing with substitute teaching, including an article listing at least five ways principals can avoid problems with substitute teachers, a guidebook providing detailed advice for substitute teachers, an article suggesting community people with special knowledge be called in as an alternative to…

Any attempts to improve excellence and equity in our schools must be predicated on the self-confident assumption that our schools can make a critical difference in the lives of children and young adults. Four propositions are offered as to what we know about school improvement: (1) public schools, individual classrooms, and school systems can and…

This paper summarizes some of the main conclusions of the Study of Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement, specifically those regarding the process of innovation implementation. The focus is on the contributions of potential assisters to various implementation outcomes, from which implications for policy and practice are derived. The…

As part of the ongoing process of self-assessment begun with the 1973 Graduate Follow-up Study of the 1971 graduates and continued in 1978 with the 1976 graduates and in 1983 with the 1980 graduates, it was decided to conduct a survey of the 1983 seniors of the Mesa Public Schools during the spring of 1983. The data collected and analyzed at that…

At Sinclair Community College (SCC) in Dayton, Ohio, a series of holistic education courses, called Education for Work/Life Actualization, was designed to offer students new skills for the development of self-esteem, empathy, creativity, intuition, centeredness, clarity of values, communication, nutrition, and preventative self-help health care.…

Discusses current issues in measuring library effectiveness, including rapid technological changes and increasing obsolescence in librarians' competencies; increased pressure for accountability; tools to help libraries become what they determine they should be rather than conforming to national standards; and how to determine the validity and…

Results of a social studies program evaluation conducted in the Albuquerque Public Schools are consistent in most respects with major research studies throughout the country. Highlights of the study that examined social studies program goals, course content and sequencing, teaching methods and instructional materials, and program effectiveness are…

The reading process and the history of teaching reading to Braille, print, and aural readers are reviewed. Variables in effective reading instruction programs for visually impaired children include teaching methods, assessment methods, qualities and competencies of teachers, other deficits of visually impaired students that exacerbate reading…

Tested the effectiveness of a program designed to teach children how to conduct and interpret a controlled experiment. Results indicate that the ability to control variables can be taught using the program (which consists of activities related to designing, building, and launching model rockets). (JN)

Practical and concise, this introductory guide is filled with real-world tips and strategies for anyone working to improve the communication of children with moderate, severe, and multiple disabilities. Emphasizing the link between behavior and communication, three respected researchers transform up-to-date research and proven best practices into…

Encouraged by evidence linking quality early care/education programs and improved student outcomes, a variety of school readiness programs and initiatives have been created. This report reviews and synthesizes evaluation studies conducted on early childhood interventions, focusing on programs emphasizing a school readiness goal. The report…