Although some school districts conduct follow-up studies of their high school graduates, few have systematically used the information to improve their educational programs or to guide policymaking. Weaknesses of typical vocational education follow-up studies include the following: avoidance of comparisons with nonvocational students, failure to…

This paper synthesizes the results of recent research on the labor market outcomes associated with participation in secondary vocational education. It is based on 10 studies conducted with national data and reported since passage of the 1976 amendments to the Vocational Education Act of 1963. Despite the problems of analyzing vocational outcomes…

How can policy makers and the public judge whether proprietary schools are heroes or villains? A review of six studies on proprietaries and two studies conducted in Minnesota attempted to answer the question. Five of the six studies examined reported that proprietary schools students are more likely to complete a program than public school…

In a four-section final report with its focus on methodology rather than on findings of particular follow-up studies, this project addresses two needs--to identify, review, and analyze vocational student and employer follow-up efforts at local, state, and federal levels, and to prepare training materials useful to individuals or groups at all…

A comparative followup study had two major purposes: (1) to determine how successful the mainstreamed special needs graduate is in the world of work in comparison with the regular vocational school graduate and (2) to determine the validity of the mainstreaming program at the Ocean County Vocational-Technical School. Two components of the study…

A state-of-the-art study was developed to describe the present status of the job placement procedures for educable mentally retarded (EMR) students who have received high school occupational education in New York State. Fifty-four local school superintendents were contacted to participate in the study. Forty-four board of cooperative education…

Pincus argues that vocational education has been developed in response to the rising educational aspirations of the working class. He claims that vocational training provides a poor payoff under the present economic system, and that the promotion of vocational programs raises unrealistic expectations in students. (Author/SK)

The research literature on the preparation of young people for work proves that policy recommendations are based on two false premises--academic skills are good substitutes for occupation-specific skills and increases in job turnover and skill obsolescence rates have caused a decline in the return to occupation-specific training by schools.…

This report contains the results of the 10th application of the Tennessee Technological University Teacher Evaluation Model and an overview of the previous reports on the model conducted since 1973. Information on graduates of the teacher education program is used for curriculum evaluation and long-range planning. In the first chapter, purposes…

The information that is currently collected on the nation's postsecondary institutions focuses primarily on quantity, addressing the need for descriptive information on students, faculty, and finances. This type of research, though necessary, is not sufficient for an understanding of the broader accountability issues emerging in the 1980's.…

Midlife and older women are at an economic disadvantage relative to their male counterparts and younger women. Older women should be served by the nation's employment, training, and vocational programs. Interviews with participants and operators of employment and training programs identified six program components needed to serve older women: (1)…

Norway's career guidance system and policies were evaluated. The review team met with policymakers and guidance practitioners in the public and private sectors, analyzed data from a national questionnaire, and reviewed pertinent documentation. The evaluation focused on the following areas: splitting educational/vocational guidance from personal…