Improvement of Occupational Education in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Phase I. An Assessment of the Comparative Effectiveness of Occupational Education Delivery Systems in Six Institutions of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

N

200

Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Federal Prison Industries, Inc.

VT-103-142

Administrative Organization; Community Resources; Comparative Analysis; Contracts; Cooperative Programs; Correctional Education; Correctional Institutions; Correctional Rehabilitation; Cost Effectiveness; Delivery Systems; Program Administration; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Student Attitudes; Student Reaction; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Qualifications; Vocational Education; Vocational Rehabilitation

At the request of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBP), the Center for Vocational Education assessed the comparative effectiveness of approaches for delivering occupational education, particularly the use of civil service employees who provide occupational education programs within FBP institutions as opposed to use of community resources through contractual arrangements with schools or other institutions or individuals. Structured personnel interviews focusing on cost effectiveness, student satisfaction, teacher performance, scope and variety of programming, and program flexibility were conducted with institutional administration and occupational education staff and students at six institutions. Major findings indicate that: (1) Contracted programs were not necessarily more cost effective than civil service programs; (2) programs established under contractual agreement were more adaptive to changes in the labor market and student interest than civil service programs; (3) student satisfaction did not appear to be dependent upon type of delivery system; (4) instructional preparation was satisfactory across all delivery systems; and (5) current FBP programming is limited in scope and variety. Recommendations include these: that the FBP utilize community-based resource systems, that civil service on-the-job training be replaced with cooperative education programs, and that study release time be pursued at every opportunity. Appendixes (80 pages) include the research approach, staff development needs, and survey instruments. (Author/KJ)

1977

ED128647