Federal legislation mandates that applicants for research and development contracts in vocational education demonstrate a reasonable probability that the contract will result in improved teaching techniques or curriculum materials. To facilitate the impact of research activities, one must develop procedures to predict and assess research impact.…

These proceedings consist of the papers presented at a conference on vocational education research in the 1980s. The first group of papers deals with various approaches to, and priorities for, vocational education research in the 1980s. Discussed in the next group of papers are national perspectives on research programming. Following this group…

This group of reports constitutes the first series of observations designed to document the experiences of six state agencies (Delaware, Oregon, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi) which are developing model program evaluation/management support units that will affect the development and implementation of policy in federal/state…

These proceedings of a dissemination conference on occupational research in Texas contain the texts of five reports and the abstracts of twelve research projects dealing with various aspects of vocational education. In the keynote address, on free enterprise and vocational education, the role of vocational education in preserving free enterprise…

Using the Ohio Technology Transfer Organization (OTTO) as its primary example, this paper offers a strategic planning perspective on technology transfer and human resources development. First, a brief overview is provided of the maturation of mission priorities and planning processes in higher education in the United States, followed by a…

When students choose postsecondary vocational education programs, they pay, in both money and in income lost during the time they are in the program. The public also pays by tax support for many educational programs. However, students often have little information about the effectiveness of these programs in terms of job placement, wage rates, and…

The program of the Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology at Alfred University (New York) is described, focusing on the center's role in technology transfer, management structure, funding, contract negotiation, intellectual property rights, and evaluation as part of a statewide system of research/development centers. An economic impact study is…

The nature of educational evaluation and its interaction with policy in six state departments of education is examined. Case reports of research and evaluation units are presented for Virginia (by Gerald W. Bracey), Michigan (by David L. Donovan and Stanley A. Rumbaugh), Washington (by Alfred F. Rasp, Jr.), South Carolina (by Paul D. Sandifer),…

A state superintendent of education discusses standards from the point of view of a policymaker, acknowledging both educational and political elements. The objective for the policymaker is to take the work of researchers and educational theorists and make it something that practitioners and ultimately the public can understand. The first thing is…

This paper describes the experiences of Colorado Springs School District Eleven in using multiple measures to determine if third graders were reading at "grade level." The use of multiple measures may be threatened by the rapidly increasing pressures about assessment and accountability in Colorado that teachers are beginning to feel that…

Presents visions for AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, including a continuing discussion of pedagogy, high quality research methodology, commitment to professional ethics and personal integrity, electronic developments, collaboration, leadership development, membership growth, and state and regional affiliations.…

Answers criticisms by Mary Anne Bunda, Ernest House, and Mary Kennedy. Discusses, among other issues, legal authorization for the use of higher quality evaluation designs and the use of evaluation research results. (GC)

Basic skills programs being implemented in New Jersey colleges are examined, and the statewide need for a centralized research and training institution that would inform, train, and provide technical assistance to college and secondary school educators and administrators involved with remedial and developmental instruction is proposed.…

This statement outlines reasons why a student identifier linked to students STAR test scores and demographic data would offer the opportunity to improve the quality of information California uses to evaluate both schools and programs and would facilitate better service provision to students. The primary benefit of a statewide student identified…

In this article, the author takes a critical look at current assessment practices in social studies education, especially those at the state level. He defines some key assessment terms, then considers the major issues of statewide assessment, focusing on the reliability and validity of the means by which government agencies across the United…