The guide, based upon Vocational Education of Handicapped Students: A Guide for Policy Development by S. Davis and M. Ward, is intended to help local education agency (LEA) administrators and supervisors conduct evaluation and needs assessment of vocational education programs, policies, and procedures related to handicapped students. Each of eight…

This report to Congress and the President analyzes ESEA Title VII implementation and includes an examination of current policy issues and legislation affecting bilingual education. An introductory chapter summarizes the history of bilingual education legislation and the report's contents. It emphasizes the importance of keeping in mind the…

As part of the evaluation study of the Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program of the National Institute of Education (NIE), researchers interviewed 14 educational policy makers in the federal Department of Education, in the NIE, and on congressional committee staffs to discover their reactions to preliminary RDU findings. The four…

Drawing heavily upon the experiences of the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and its experience in a longitudinal evaluation of the national "Follow Through" program (a program devised to provide developmental and educational services for poor children), this paper is written in reference to the development of early childhood education…

Prompted from several directions, the Stone Foundation sponsored this exploratory workshop on community self-help and mutual aid efforts. The purposes identified for the conference were: (1) to enhance the functions of self-help groups by creating new opportunities for them to learn from others; (2) to find ways to share more widely what is known…

This article illustrates how social research has moved into the public policy process while retaining the essential characteristics of research. It also shows how concerns about participant confidentiality have interacted with attempts by the General Accounting Office to analyze data. Journal availability: see TM 503 798. (CP)

The model utilized in this study was designed to meet the need for analysis of policy as one step in the process of describing the general status of school health service programs in a state. The findings of this study indicated that most schools in Virginia are characterized by inadequate health programs when compared to recommended policies. (DS)

Dynamic analysis offers a comprehensive view of the cost benefit and cost effective dimensions of policy problems. It also provides the computational power to investigate the long term effects of policy decisions on the flow of resources in organizations and government agencies. (Author/MV)

A British review process for policy-oriented research is described, focusing on the problems of keeping academic criteria and policy relevance distinct in the process. The use of multiple evaluative frameworks for policy-related research is advocated. (MSE)

Discusses results of a survey of nursing programs asking whether the programs had a policy on termination of students who are unsafe in clinical practice or whether the issue of needing a policy had been addressed by the institution. (CT)

These authors argue that evaluation in medical settings is best taught using experimental and quasi-experimental paradigms as a basic framework. Three types of health evaluation courses at the master's, doctoral, and professional doctoral levels at the University of Michigan that stress the crucial connection between evaluation and policy are…

Tellado's evaluation of a problem-solving skills training program (TM 510 179) needs to be defined in terms of a client for the evaluation. It may also have implications for earlier intervention in problem-solving skills. Further research about the role of linguistic skills in developing problem-solving skills seems warranted. (Author/BW)

The Center for Hispanic Policy, Research, and Development (New Jersey), formerly known as the Office of Hispanic Affairs, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. After two decades of service to the Hispanic community of New Jersey, it is appropriate to consider the historical evolution of the Center. This retrospective analysis documents and…

The newly appointed director of the National Institute of Education responds to questions about the institute's objectives. (JN)

To enable decision makers to become more aware of the levels of confidence that can be placed in the results of particular computerized decision models, methods for establishing confidence levels are discussed. The U.S. General Accounting Office has developed criteria and review procedures for evaluating computerized policy analysis models.…