The past years have witnessed a growing trend in applied research in Vocational Education and Training (VET), which refers to investigative activities and services conducted by VET organisations which have a strong practical focus on solving real-life problems. Insights from applied research can be used to develop or improve products and services,…

This analysis of current and available information on the evaluation of vocational education and its policy implications includes a methodological appendix showing major studies of cost-effectiveness analysis, a critique of the various techniques employed in these studies, and an extensive bibliography of relevant source materials and related…

Practices in needs assessment are reviewed since 1981, the year the federal government changed the role it plays in promoting needs assessment in the public sector. The review is based on reports published to 1993 and indicates that needs assessment is flourishing in a variety of settings. (SLD)

Made up of five components, the School Planning, Evaluation, and Communication System (SPECS) is an approach to program planning and evaluation applicable to all instructional and noninstructional programs and activities. As such, it focuses on outcomes, processes, and inputs in a continuous cycle of planning, evaluation, and replanning. As well…

Using the District Review of Vocational Education (DROVE) process, information from 60 California district vocational education systems was collected and analyzed to determine important implications for State level management of vocational education. Some 257 visiting team members participated in writing recommendations and commendations from…

This is a collection of 21 reports presented at the two-day symposium which ended the eighteen-month planning phase for OPERATION PEP. The symposium served as a culminating activity in a training program for 100 California educators in the application of systems analysis and management planning techniques. The reports, funded under Title III of…