In this digest, readers are introduced to the scope of instructional program evaluation and evaluators' changing roles in school districts. A program evaluation measures outcomes based on student-attainment goals, implementation levels, and external factors such as budgetary restraints and community support. Instructional program evaluation may be…

Although evaluation plays many roles in schools--support for administrative decision-making, curriculum improvement, staff development, public relations, instruction, counseling, diagnosing problems for students and staff, planning--recent studies of school district evaluation practices indicate that little overall consistency exists in the form…