The rise of the research center has changed the landscape of U.S. research enter-prise. It has also created a number of evaluation challenges, particularly when considering strategically focused, multifaceted cooperative research centers (CRCs). The author argues that although recent CRC evaluation efforts have gone a long way toward meeting the…

Evaluations of five youth-leadership programs integrated research and practice; findings were documented, analyzed, and shared with staff so that improvements could be made immediately. Staff provided feedback to broaden their understanding and ensure that research focused on critical issues. (Author/JOW)

The ERS Standards could affect the government contract work of large research and evaluation organizations by requiring (in the request for proposals) that work be done in accordance with the standards, incorporating the standards into the proposal, or including the standards in the contract boiler plate. (Author/LC)

This discussion traces the legislative, fiscal, and programmatic history of Project Follow Through and analyzes the many problems and controversies that have surrounded it. It is argued that problems have been largely a result of the attempt to combine research and development (R & D) and social action service programs. Lessons learned as a…

Responds to Sue Klein's comparative analysis on Design Competitions and Expert Panels (Educational Research, 1997) in which the author addresses drawbacks of the Expert Panels approach to educational product evaluation. Cautions that the approach is so minimalist a strategy that it could inhibit more serious attempts to build a system based on…

This book contains four papers commissioned by the National Center on Employment Policy to review programs conducted by the Office of Policy, Evaluation, and Research in the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration. The Council's policy statement entitled "Appraising Employment and Training Research" appears first. In…

This researcher discusses what he has learned about the field of program evaluation and makes three observations: (1) Testing does not define key objectives in evaluation. (2) Politics influences what clients want to know. (3) Case studies are necessary for epistemological reasons. (LMO)

This essay focuses on a key change that the author has experienced in the practice of program evaluation research over the past 20 years: the accommodation of the logic of science and the psychology of politics. This change has substantially altered the role of the evaluator, the evaluator's relationship with clients, the design of an evaluation…

This paper is intended to provide data and analysis on three general questions: What are the significant existing programs and agencies related to educational research and development (R&D) in the Northeast and what are key unmet needs for the National Institute of Education (NIE) to consider in planning for a new institution? What are various…

Addresses research-based issues related to preparing teachers and other professionals to work with children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Discussion includes an identification of basic personnel preparation questions to be addressed, components of an effective training program, steps for establishing program effectiveness, and…

The program of the Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology at Alfred University (New York) is described, focusing on the center's role in technology transfer, management structure, funding, contract negotiation, intellectual property rights, and evaluation as part of a statewide system of research/development centers. An economic impact study is…

The author perceives the field of evaluation to be changing in several significant ways: (1) support for planning efforts is diminishing; (2) numbers of full-time staff working on these projects is diminishing; (3) personnel specialists are becoming generalists; (4) specialties are becoming blurred; and (5) conceptual and technical paradigms are…

Perspectives on a greater partnership between education and business/industry are offered. The goal of this partnership is to achieve educational excellence. To accomplish this, greater participation of business and industry in the universities' educational preparation programs is needed. It is necessary to define role responsibilities for a…

Federal support for research in vocational education dates from the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917. However, only one substantial study of vocational education research has been undertaken. In 1974, the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council was awarded funds from the Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education for a two-year examination…

This document presents the national plan for research and development (R&D) in adult education and literacy that was developed by the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL). The document begins by explaining the process used to develop the plan, which included conducting a literature review, obtaining input from a national steering group, and…