Asserts that transforming school counselor education to prepare counselors to become educational leaders who serve as advocates for the equitable treatment of all children demands a systems-oriented approach, addressing underlying assumptions and values that guide such work and outlining components of one program that can serve as examples for…

Vocational program planning can take place in a rational manner, even in a correctional institution. Vocational educators can evaluate the appropriateness of their current program and assess the need for new directions. (JOW)

Activities during the initial 18-month cycle of the Demand and Resource Evaluation (DARE) Program of the Puget Sound Power and Light Company (Washington State) are described. The role of evaluation in public utility planning is discussed. Cooperation, communication, and consensus among utility planning staff are concluded to be vital. (SLD)

Discusses how to develop and implement an open learning program when there are materials available but no trainers to use them. (JOW)

Compares community substance abuse programs that have worked with some that have not by applying principles from complex systems theory and ideas from learning communities. (JOW)

Evaluated innovative corporate-sponsored health care program for retired employees and their dependents. Program included multidisciplinary heath care team, care coordination and referral, and health promotion workshops. Of 111 participants, 95% reported that participation helped them maintain or improve their health through increased knowledge…

Investigates the value of a tiered model of staff development for five districts using "teacher consultants" drawn from a parent district with a long writing project history. Evaluates preconditions, processes and outcomes. Discusses results in terms of student achievement and classroom practices. (SR)

Advocates evaluation of career development programs and services through multidimensional approach utilizing adaptations from methodologies found in evaluating cognitive instructional programs. Focuses on accessing various forms of knowledge necessary in career decision making through introspective, retrospective, and observational procedures.…

Survey of career and employment counseling showed that little counseling evaluation was being done in schools, colleges, universities, community agencies, or Canada Employment Centres. Absence of evaluative information places service at risk of being discontinued. Those in leadership positions have to be convinced of need for more and better…

Presents a comparison of counselor training programs in 16 countries with relation to issues such as occupational choice or career development, professionals or technicians, labor utilization or career satisfaction, and information or relationship. Uses examples from the various countries to provide possible responses to these issues, and outlines…

Evaluates an organizational diagnosis program that assesses managerial communication skills and provides the frame for follow-up training programs. Finds that managers participating in follow-up communication skills training performed significantly higher on interpersonal skills, problem-solving ability, and productivity over three long-term…

Delphi and Q-sort techniques were used by 34 educators to rank technology education curriculum guidelines for developing countries. The highest-ranked issues included the following: technology education should teach creative thinking and problem solving, it should be part of general education for all, and it should integrate other subjects. (SK)

Focused, sustained staff development occurs too seldom in U.S. schools. The "just-in-time" approach involves learning teams composed of teachers who teach a specific content area at the same time or at contiguous grade levels. "Bite-sized" training sessions, facilitated by a staff-development professional, occur every few…

Evaluations of five youth-leadership programs integrated research and practice; findings were documented, analyzed, and shared with staff so that improvements could be made immediately. Staff provided feedback to broaden their understanding and ensure that research focused on critical issues. (Author/JOW)

This special section includes "The View from the Middle" (Dick Schaaf); "Crossing the Channel" (Dawn Garrett); and "Bandwidth Basics" (Dick Schaaf). Sidebars look at bandwidth and management issues as well as courseware development. (JOW)