Application of evaluability assessment by the Cooperative Extension Service of the Department of Agriculture is reviewed. The effort involved five states with six major programs since 1984. Underlying philosophy and methodological considerations are discussed, and background information is provided on the assessment processes and studies…

This article describes how the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service (CES) might serve as a model for improving the dissemination of education research and development results. After reviewing the distinctive aspects of each dissemination system, various features of CES are listed that might be replicated and others that…

Reviews characteristics of the 4-H program in America. Discusses the Congressional mandate of 1977 which called for evaluation of the program. Briefly reviews historically the controversy surrounding this mandate in terms of the shift in emphasis in the 4-H program which may result from a call for accountability at the national level. (CS)

Discusses applications of evaluation methodology for educational programs to extension evaluation. Reviews alternative evaluation designs, makes specific suggestions for interpreting past evaluation studies, and presents ideas for future extension evaluation. (CS)

Describes 1999 federal funding to large general-assistance programs affecting small towns and rural areas (including Housing and Urban Development, federal disaster relief, rural extension activities, and Bureau of Indian Affairs assistance programs); increased funding for Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities; reauthorization of the Economic…

Describes the evaluation design employed by the 4-H program in response to the Congressional evaluation mandate of 1977. Discusses difficulties encountered in design integrity and practicality in choosing an appropriate format for the national-scale evaluation. (CS)

Presents an external review of the evaluation process involved in evaluating the national 4-H program. Focuses on issues and lessons relevant to evaluation and research in general. Discusses specific problems encountered in the 4-H national evaluation. (CS)

Addresses the evaluation problem posed by the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 which directed that "social and economic consequences" or agricultural extension programs be reported. Presents a consequences-treatment matrix used in the national evaluation of the program, presenting operational definitions and discussing major variables.…

Examines the model used for the national evaluation for the 4-H program, discussing both strong and weak features of the model. (CS)

Discusses the evaluation matrix used in the national evaluation of the 4-H program and identifies where the payoffs for society in terms of learning for children are likely to occur, revealing results of the evaluation in comparison to expected payoffs. (CS)

Describes general development assistance available to rural areas through federal programs that fund housing, extension education and research, rural community development, rural business development, resource conservation, and development activities in American Indian reservations and disadvantaged rural areas. (SV)

Describes and explores the District Education Agent program, a community-based program proposed by the Subcommittee on Select Education of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is comparable to the agricultural extension service. Ways in which it might incorporate new technological capabilities are suggested. (12 references) (DB)

This article reviews lessons learned from the agricultural extension model that may apply to the proposed cooperative extension service in education. The agricultural extension model is a user-oriented system linking knowledge producers with other knowledge users. In education, the adopters of innovations may be organizations as well as…