Based on the experience of developing and implementing a cooperative study of the economic impact of Oregon's community colleges, this guidebook describes the process of conducting the study in order to assist institutions planning to undertake similar investigations. In Part I, the purpose, focus, and scope of the Oregon study are reviewed, and…

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…