This report considers the role of manpower information in vocational education planning. Following a review of the manpower and educational contexts of vocational education planning, the report examines the concepts of manpower supply and demand and the sources of relevant information and methodologies for their estimation, considers criteria for…

The National Diffusion Network (NDN) not only alerts educators to exemplary education programs, but also provides inservice training before and after a program adoption. (Author)

In one federally funded program, the third-party evaluator was under contract with the program evaluated and not the federal funding agency. The social structure of this arrangement has implications for information utilization. (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA 94104, single issue, $6.95.) (Author/GDC)

A number of ways in which evaluations may be biased are illustrated: (1) policy and political purposes for evaluations; (2) sources of policy or political bias prior to evaluation activities; (3) limitations and biases within the evaluation itself; and (4) utilization of evaluation information in the policy process. (Author/GK)

Claims made for case studies are analyzed, and some of the obstacles to using this kind of evaluation information are discussed. The analysis is based on evaluation of a federally funded project which combined the evaluation with attempts to use that information to help other schools. (Author/CTM)

This study reports findings from a survey of U.S. and Canadian medical libraries belonging to the Association of Academic Health Sciences Library Directors (AAHSLD). Conducted in the spring of 1990 and funded by AAHSLD, the survey had the two primary purposes of assessing the use of the AAHSLD "Annual Statistics" in providing data for decision…

A number of organizational, personal and methodological characteristics have been identified through the literature which inhibit or can be used to facilitate the use of evaluation and testing information. Inhibitors of information usage include organizational characteristics such as loosely coupled and decentralized systems, personal…

This document presents the research proposal and supporting documents for a study to evaluate the process of developing a comprehensive dissemination capacity in State Education Agencies (SEAs) and to assess the impact of the capacity building activities in the states, addressing two questions: Is dissemination capacity being built and, if so,…

The objectives of the Publisher's Alert Service (PAS) is to announce the availability of educational programs and products to all potential publishers. This report provides the Office of Education with recommendations for improvements to the PAS. It includes: 1) information on the status of current announcements that would normally appear in a…

This report summarizes the proceedings of an Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) sponsored meeting. The discussion and followup papers address issues related to disseminating promising and exemplary programs in conjunction with OERI's responsibilities to plan a system of expert panels. Section 1 of the report includes the minutes…

A survey examined secondary school teachers' perceptions of the effects of program, student, and teacher evaluations on instructional improvement. Results indicated that student evaluation was most effective in influencing teachers to revise their instruction. Teacher and program evaluations appeared to be ineffective as change agents. (MH)

Characteristics of evaluative studies used by California state legislators are discussed: specificity in addressing particular policy decisions; factors which contribute to or hinder the accomplishment of educational objectives; balanced studies with a range of indicators; and attention to local concerns, and to fiscal and legal issues. (MH)

Using the 1995 National Research Council ratings of doctoral programs in 41 fields, a statistical methodology is offered for assessing how measures of program size, faculty seniority, faculty research productivity, and faculty productivity in producing doctoral degrees influenced raters' decisions. Then using data for one field, economics,…

A discussion of second language program evaluation is intended for staff (teachers, program planners, materials writers, program managers) of programs being evaluated, to help them understand the process and dynamics of program evaluation. It addresses common concerns and fears about evaluation, offers ways in which staff can cooperate with…

This paper describes the use of a theory-based framework, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), in evaluating the implementation of three educational innovations in the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools during 1986-87: (1) Project READ, a districtwide alternative language arts program for grades 1-8; (2) Timeline, project management software…