The author, in her review of Frank Caro's article, "Leverage and Evaluation Effectiveness," finds several suggestions which may harm evaluation more than help it, and which are unlikely to be implemented. (Author/GK)

The literature on program evaluation contains numerous suggestions that evaluative information is frequently underutilized or inappropriately utilized by administrators. This paper reviews the literature on utilization with a view toward identifying workable strategies for optimizing appropriate use. Specific recommendations to evaluators include…

The evaluation literature suggests that evaluation studies may be underutilized by policy makers. This possibility has stimulated a good deal of evaluation use research. However, most of the research has not been theoretically grounded. This paper reviews the key propositions of communications theory and related previous research, as they are…

In the past several years, evaluation researchers and practitioners have become concerned about the apparent failure to utilize evaluation information. A simplified model of decision making is presented, in which the decision maker is confronted with a situation requiring a choice, generates potential solutions, assesses the probabilities that a…

It is critical for schools and districts engaged in a comprehensive school-reform process to develop a schoolwide or districtwide strategy, one that affects teaching and learning, governance, and professional development. Researchers studying school-reform processes have noted that different types of models suit different schools differently.…

To better understand policy formation, evaluators should be aware of the perspectives from which legislators view evaluators. Illustrations of the impact of evaluation and research projects on policy are provided. (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA 94104, single issue, $6.95.) (Author/GDC)

Evaluation research should be viewed as the source of knowledge on two levels: (1) how evaluation studies utilize results, and (2) how the knowledge that was evaluated is utilized. The purpose of this document is to systematically examine the literature pertinent to the utilization of evaluation results. The impetus for legitimization of…

Review of literature concerning the use of program review in higher education lists sources discussing the review process, focusing on the links between program review and other institutional processes, and addressing application of program review principles and practices to different higher education settings. Critical factors for successful use…

Although most school districts and schools are routinely involved in data collection, they do not typically use the data they collect in a systematic fashion to identify strengths and weaknesses and develop improvement strategies. One reason for the lack of data use is the perception that the data are being collected for someone else's purposes.…

Flexner's report on the procedures, agents, and effects of medical school accreditation emphasizes common sense and unstructured observation, rather than objective social science. Flexner would probably declare that lay people, rather than the National Education Association or the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, should…

Reviewing five large-scale investigations of educational dissemination and change, this report synthesizes and consolidates their findings and implications around an issue of common interest to policymakers, program administrators, and researchers: what can be learned from these studies about processes and procedures that facilitate knowledge…

This interim report analyzes the dissemination and impact of "SET: Research Information for Teachers," a package of articles presenting educational research findings in a journalistic style for distribution to Australian and New Zealand schools and teachers. The report consists of four sections. The first section reviews recent…

Four problems underlying the delivery of technical assistance in Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I evaluation are discussed: (1) the dual missions of facilitating the implementation of the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System and of facilitating the local use of evaluation information frequently require tradeoffs between…

The utilization of state educational assessment information at local, state, and national levels for program evaluation, resource allocation, and research purposes is examined. The author creates a structure for researching, studying, and describing the outcomes of state assessment programs and illustrates each function with examples drawn from…

A discussion of second language program evaluation focuses on the interpretability of test scores as a criterion in program evaluation. It looks at both test design and research design issues. First, eight method-comparison, program evaluation studies that compare acquisition-based and analysis/practice based methods are described. Acquisition…