Collecting and analyzing post-release outcomes for prisoners who were enrolled in correctional education programming is a crucial means for evaluating the effectiveness and impact of correctional education strategies. The strengths and weaknesses of gathering each type of data are considered before several recommendations are offered for easing the post-release data collection process. Recommendations include: (1) correctional education administrators should competently evaluate their own programming before outside funding agencies perform evaluations; (2) formal relationships should be established with non-corrections data collection agencies; (3) questions to be answered during the evaluation and collection of the appropriate data need to be determined; (4) methods of maintaining continual contact with ex-offenders need to be established; and (5) data about other groups of offenders within corrections as well as on the offenders participating in corrections education programming should be collected. The types of data and data collection methods typically used to gain information about prisoners post-release outcomes are described and critiqued, including recidivism data measured through parole violations, reconviction, and reincarceration and post-release employment data gathered from parole officers, earnings-related data systems, and through traditional follow-up studies with offenders themselves. Corrections professionals are encouraged to take a proactive approach in forming the perceptions that the public and funding partners will have of their educational programming. References