This report discusses findings from a comprehensive national survey of the effectiveness of magnet schools in improving the quality of public education and in assisting school desegregation. Chapter I provides background information on the concept and evolution of magnet schools; discusses the purposes of the national survey and several issues…

This evaluation of the second-year (1986-87) implementation of the New York City (New York) Dropout Prevention Initiative (DPI) in 13 high schools focuses on student characteristics and outcomes, with a discussion of a set of statistical data on program services, findings on school-level indicators of program effectiveness, and an analysis of…

In this guide the logic of product evaluation is described in a framework that is meant to be general and adaptable to all kinds of evaluations. Evaluators should consider using the logic and methods of product evaluation when (1) the purpose of the evaluation is to aid evaluators in making a decision about purchases; (2) a comprehensive…

New curriculum materials are necessary to improve vocational education. Even when new materials are developed, however, they often fail to improve programs, either because teachers are not taught how to manage and use the new instructional materials, or because the environment does not allow change. The role of administrators is to encourage…

A project was begun in 1978 to test the feasibility of a high-skill training program that would prepare welfare recipients for well-paying jobs in the private sector. The training for this specially selected Work Incentive Program (WIN) was to be provided by two Bell and Howell schools, one in Columbus, Ohio, and the other in Chicago. Training…

Independent schools (that is, nontraditional proprietary and nonprofit private colleges) that specialize in shorter term technical, vocational, and business curricula are doing a better job providing short-term vocational education than are traditional two- and four-year colleges that typically offer a wide variety of degrees. While traditional…

In order to provide guidance for agencies in developing effective programs for pregnant and parenting teens, this article analyzes data from 21 federally funded care programs involved in a national evaluation. First, the question of a program's location and structure was addressed. Rural projects were found to be less service-rich than their urban…

This paper describes the problem and consequences of preschool poverty and outlines the potential contributions of high quality preschool child development programs towards lessening the magnitude of the problem. Data indicate that among children under 6 years of age one in four is now living in poverty, and in 17 states more than one fourth of…

Many Catholic school principals have limited assistance from their respective central offices in the recruitment and selection of teachers, especially if their objective is to recruit candidates of color or candidates for a particular subject area. Aware that teacher quality is related to student achievement, Catholic school principals must employ…

An impact analysis of the Vocational Opinion Index Transition System (VOITS) was conducted by studying the first six months of its implementation at a Minneapolis vocational training center. (The VOITS program provides skills training personnel with an early diagnosis of an individual's "Job Readiness Posture" and guidelines for the…

This fifteenth special report of the National Commission for Manpower Policy examines the interplay between the forces determining work schedules and the incidence and prevalence of unemployment. In the first chapter the author sets forth the major trends in hours of work and in the changing structure of the labor force that has led increasingly…

Utilizing data derived from a national survey of state support of adult education and regional Futures and Amendments meetings, this report on the results of the Adult Education Act examines the scope and character of the federal-state grant adult education program. The content is in three sections: (1) discussion of the Futures and Amendments…

Specifications for the types of information necessary for the evaluation of nontraditional college programs involve: content, respondent groups, schedule for data collection, possible instruments and forms of response, and presentation of the information to different groups. One important issue is the need for more precise definitions of…

A new statistical measure termed the Composite Indicator of Changes (CIC) reflects overall changes in average salaries and wages paid by public school systems in much the same way that the Dow-Jones averages reflect price changes in the stock market. The CIC is useful for comparing salary trends among various categories of personnel, among…

This report records survey results of preschool education programs serving children ages 3 through 6 and their families in Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia. Programs surveyed were primarily designed to reach the poorest sectors of the population, focused on improving the young child's psychomotor and social development, and utilized various…