The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, previously called the Food Stamp Program) is a key component of the U.S. social safety net. SNAP is the only social safety net program universally available to low-income Americans, and is intended to help families meet their basic nutritional needs. It can also help to stabilize the economy…

In response to financial pressures, the New York State Assembly has created new, less-generous retirement plans for teachers. Teachers and other education employees are enrolled in one of two plans, the Teachers' Retirement System of the City of New York (TRS) and the New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS). How far have the benefits…

This article discusses the implications of a framework to improve matching supply and demand in VET by a policy to improve quality by using anticipation and foresight approaches. Analysis of the Austrian anticipation system identified some basic aspects such as policy. The analysis focused on two issues: the observation and measurement of…

Differing views about the success evaluators have had in improving programs directly are contrasted. It is suggested that evaluation, even when decisions are not based directly on evaluation outcomes, should represent continuing education for program managers, planners, and policy makers with probable impact in the future. (SLD)

This report is one of a series by the General Accounting Office that summarizes major policy, management, and program issues facing agency heads in the Bush administration. Many concerns have been identified, some new, others long-standing. This report on the Department of Agriculture describes concerns about the following six issues: (1)…

The use of evaluations for policy and program development and change is critically reviewed. Existing conceptions of utilization are discussed and improvements in the methods of detecting use are suggested. Five clusters of variables affecting utilization are described and hypotheses about the reasons for their effects are outlined. (Author/AL)

Study goals were to identify and evaluate the impact of fellowships awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts to visual artists and to provide information to help the Endowment in planning, policy development, and resource allocation for the fellowship category. Information was collected in three ways. Questionnaires were sent to 50% of all…

This paper raises issues regarding two reports on improving teaching: the Report of the California Commission on the Teaching Profession, "Who Will Teach Our Children: A Strategy for Improving California's Schools" and the Carnegie Report, "A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century." A brief review is presented on the…

Findings and recommendations of the Executive Panel of the Ford Foundation Project on Social Welfare and the American Future are presented. The research was based on a comprehensive review of Americans' social welfare needs and of policy alternatives. The findings show that, although the present system was well conceived, it is now outdated and…

This report outlines the rationale for computer literacy, the nature of an academic program and courses to deliver it, and its relation to other knowledge and skill requirements of modern public administration. (Author/CT)

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) recently conducted analyses, interviews and a survey for a study designed to identify the most pressing early learning issues facing policymakers. The goal was to hear both from those who are faced with making decisions and from those who are on the ground conducting research and developing programs. To…

A number of ways in which evaluations may be biased are illustrated: (1) policy and political purposes for evaluations; (2) sources of policy or political bias prior to evaluation activities; (3) limitations and biases within the evaluation itself; and (4) utilization of evaluation information in the policy process. (Author/GK)

Evaluation and strategic management are related in that each attempts to improve the quality of policy decisions and each has evolved from a product-centered focus to one in which implementation and utilization are vital. Evaluators should understand strategic management theory to evaluate its applications appropriately. (SLD)

Three articles on evaluation in the Federal government describe a decline in budget and staff support, narrowing of the agenda to internal management issues, and the subordination of evaluation to other functions. Issues for the future of Federal government evaluation are discussed. (SLD)

Accountability and reporting mechanisms go hand in hand with government programs that promote workforce development. This chapter describes current practice in the United States and suggests how institutional researchers can help improve the process of documenting outcomes. (Contains 1 table.)