A curriculum evaluation approach has been proposed that can enhance educators' understanding of how curriculum designed to effect social and vocational change in market economy cultures interacts with students, schools, and society. This method combines elements of a social evaluation approach fashioned by M.W. Apple and L.E. Beyer (1985) with a critical ethnography model developed by P.F. Carspecken (1995). It includes five levels or basic categories of inquiry. Stage 1 analyzes the social, historical, and ideological context into which the program is introduced and how that context is currently influencing school reform. It reveals the ideological connections between dominant social forces and school reform and identifies and critiques the various assumptions underpinning vocational and social preparedness programs. Stage 2 identifies informal components of employability skills curriculum to consider their potential impact on students and society. Stage 3 requires a conceptual analysis of the employability skills discourse contained in the formal curriculum of programs, such as the Career and Personal Planning curriculum. Stage 4 uses an ethnographic collection of data to acquire knowledge of the dynamic interaction between curricula and classroom culture. Stage 5 analyzes findings from the previous four stages through a critical conceptual framework founded on principles of social justice and equality. (Contains 23 references.) (YLB)