Current efforts and methodologies to evaluate vocational education programs are plagued by a number of problems. Included among these are the following: disagreement over the primary role and function of vocational education, too great an emphasis on summative and product evaluation as well as on labor market outcomes as indicators of program effectiveness, insufficient consideration of the educational and community setting, and overreliance on positivist evaluation inquiry. A new approach is needed to overcome these problems and deficiencies. One such approach is that of critical evaluation. A method based on the assumption that persons bring different perceptions and vested interests concerning an issue to the evaluation process, critical evaluation is concerned with both the process by which a decision is reached and the outcome or action itself. The critical evaluation approach directly addresses the issues raised by individuals in the local setting as being necessary for program change and relies upon quantitative and qualitative data to develop action plans and change strategies for program improvement. (MN)