Training is critical for the growth of the evaluation profession as more qualified and competent individuals will be required to meet the increased demand for evaluation. This paper deals with the training needs of professionals and is based on a part of a study on the status and challenges of educational program evaluation in the Asia-Pacific…

Educational needs assessments (hereafter NAs) are inattentive to cost considerations and are frequently dominated by elite stakeholder groups. In this article I make a case for adopting a cost-utility approach, illustrating the argument with data generated in a NA of central library services in a Canadian school district. Using survey data from…

Discusses the conditions that promote evaluation and their applicability to the current welfare situation. Outlines a welfare reform evaluation agenda, focusing on core activities and investments in evaluation. The major focus should be finding out what is effective for which individuals. (SLD)

Modified evaluation planning tools, such as document models, logic models, and program theory models in planning for the evaluation of the coordination of domestic violence services in metropolitan Baltimore, Maryland. Data from a variety of sources (targeted agencies) show that activities of agencies in the coordinated community response are…

Studied the efforts of a state-funded evaluation support unit in Rhode Island to increase evaluation capacity in 13 community-based organizations through a needs assessment, on-site technical assistance, a workshop series, and selected model projects. Measures of organizational needs, staff confidence, and agency progress are used to document…

A scale developed to assess the burdens of families with a seriously mentally ill member, the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS), is described. Use of the scale in two studies involving 188 family members demonstrates its stable factor structure and practicality for program evaluation. (SLD)

A review of 61 interventions to reduce the rate of medical diagnostic testing reveals that many approaches were successful; the mean reduction observed was 22%. Interventions based on analysis of needs and concerns about negative side effects tended to be more effective. (SLD)

Needs assessment methodology has grown remarkably as a necessary part of evaluating human service programs. The consumer survey method of needs assessment is reviewed. Problems in designing and implementing consumer surveys and training programs are discussed. (JKS)

The design and testing of a simulation of the planning evaluation process for use in training is presented and its use in a five-day professional workshop is described. Comments are made on this trial run and on the task of evaluation training in general. (MH)

A literature review describes evaluation activities in mental health services in financial, programmatic/clinical, and new constituency areas. Expanding reimbursement for alternative mental health services is offered as a way of developing a formal structure to ensure better utilization of evaluation results. (SLD)

The seven articles of this special section explore evaluation in South Africa. Particular emphasis is placed on policy development in the areas of health, education, and housing and on efforts to alleviate the legacy of apartheid. Participative and quantitative efforts are described. (SLD)

A mail survey completed by 62 administrators in colleges of education in Ohio provides descriptive and correlational results about the nature of utilization of needs assessment. A moderately high multiple correlation is found for attitude and involvement, but other independent variables contribute minimally to prediction. (SLD)

The involvement of program beneficiaries in a study of the educational problems of homeless children is described. The 3 stakeholder groups were the 9 teachers, 7 shelter staff members, and 20 homeless parents. The equitable participation of the parents was an achieved goal that enhanced evaluation findings' validity. (SLD)