A theory-driven approach to validity is proposed. The central argument is that a model or theory should be formulated in a program evaluation and the modeling process should include the identification of potential threats to validity in research. (Author/LMO)

The traditional view that an activity's comparative impact on collective welfare ought to guide resource allocation is refuted. A paradigm of a multisystem society with the non-fungibility of investment resources an essential issue in project appraisal is presented. (SLD)

Evaluators vary in their propensity to make direct valuative judgments of program worth. The decision to include recommendations with a report or provide merely descriptive evaluation depends on individuals' perspectives concerning the nature of reality, truth and values, human agency, and informational utility. (SLD)

This paper focuses on the discrepancy the authors personally experienced between the stated principles of social research and experience with several applied social research projects over the last 10 years. Three cases of applied social research are presented and critiqued, and two types of structural problems were found. (Author/LMO)

Six case studies are discussed, which illustrate the experimental and pragmatic epistemological paradigms as they function independently, compete with one another, or complement each other. Researchers should consider not only the substantive goals of an evaluation, but also the epistemological goals. (SLD)

Bank's report of a long-term evaluation of the Bureau of Jewish Education, discussed in the previous article, is reviewed and commented on from the following points of views: (1) effects of local ecology on evaluation activities; (2) implications of the case study for the role and training of evaluators; and (3) unemphasized aspects of the case…

An information feedback model and an ideology of evaluation are posed and contrasted with experiences in evaluation research. Impact on policy is the criterion for success of an evaluation and political constraints block this impact. Some ways social researchers might conceptualize and construct an appropriate base of power are considered.…

The traditional experimental-control group method for evaluating delinquency prevention programs is questioned. It is contended that the method harms the intervention and exacerbates the deliquency problem. (JKS)

The review of the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education is described by the evaluator. She provides background information on the Bureau, her personal perspective, the major evaluation events and activities (including data collection efforts, progress reports, data analysis, and the final report), past review events, and her personal reflections.…