The United Nation's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) aims to prepare students for pressing economic and environmental problems. In this article, I argue that an exclusive emphasis on an ambiguous goal, sustainable development, raises important questions for educational ethics. Specifically, I argue that DESD mission…

Weiss' and Patton's competing views concerning the influence of program evaluation on decision-making are critiqued. Patton's approach provides an essential mechanism for achieving desired ends, once they are determined. Weiss' approach supplements that contribution by including not only expert development of means, but also expert selection of…

Literature on the generalizability of program effects focuses on the a priori development of evaluation designs which enable certain generalizations to be made. Secondary analysis procedures which can be employed using existing evaluation data to estimate a program's generalizability when follow-up field studies are not feasible are suggested.…

The stages of the policy process are examined and explained in terms of the decision making framework. The policy process is comprised of four stages; policy analysis, policy formation, policy decision, and political analysis. Political analysis is the performance of the market analysis needed for a decision. The political weight, rather than the…

Evaluation models have been taken as methodologies for actually conducting evaluations, instead of as persuasions or frameworks within which more specific constructs and methods must be placed. Although evaluation models do not provide methodologies, they do provide a guide for thinking about how an evaluation could be conducted. (Author/LC)

The author reviews three topics featured in his first Behavior Modification column: pupil management, social validation, and nondiscriminatory testing. Two new topics are also discussed: data and decisions, and program evaluation. (Author)

Evaluation is essential to assess the worth of a program and to provide its modifications. An ideal evaluation program can be designed by implementing the experts' best ideas, provided they meet the needs of the program, and by involving those who are directly and indirectly involved in the program. (Author/BRR)

Proposes seven principles of program evaluation to serve as guidelines for designing evaluation procedures in Australian schools. The object of evaluation is to generate useful information about the educational environment which can be used for decision making in the curriculum development process. (AM)

The role of the evaluator in the decision-making process is discussed. Topics covered include identification of decision makers and decision-making processes, delineation of informational needs, identification of the various media and forums for evaluation ideas, and definition of functions that evaluators serve. (TJH)

Presents arguments for conducting program evaluation as a reflection of concern for students. Seeks to "demystify" evaluation, noting that evaluation need not be done only by experts. Discusses types of evaluation and presents principles in planning and guiding evaluations. (JPS)

The ESEA Title I evaluation Technical Assistance Centers (TACs) assist state and local education agencies to implement the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS), to improve the quality of evaluation information, and to use evaluation results for local decision making. This paper reports on the results of one method of assessing the…

The Director of the Program Evaluation and Methodology Division of the U.S. General Accounting Office discusses how evaluators and evaluation sponsors can become more sensitized to the organizational and political influences that shape the use of evaluation information in decision making. Job Training Partnership Act practitioners look at the…

Exploring the questions (1) What are values?, (2) How can values help the individual relate to his world? and (3) What is evaluation?, the author suggests ways an evaluator's values can constructively affect program evaluation. (Author/SK)

Certain expectations that federal officials have about evaluation researchers are discussed. Included are: (1) presence of a clear understanding of what evaluation means; (2) procedure for carrying out an evaluation; and (3) understanding by the evaluator of how the research relates to the decision-making process. (Author/GK)

Advocates evaluation of career development programs and services through multidimensional approach utilizing adaptations from methodologies found in evaluating cognitive instructional programs. Focuses on accessing various forms of knowledge necessary in career decision making through introspective, retrospective, and observational procedures.…