The user-oriented and utilization-focused evaluation design of the two-year Caribbean Agricultural Extension Project, funded by Aid to International Development, is reviewed. The evaluation scope, stakeholders, evaluation team credibility, official approval of evaluation, and confidence in the evaluation process are addressed, within a…

The client's role and the client-contractor relationship are traced through the design, implementation, and analysis of the Department of Education's High School and Beyond (HSB) survey. The Longitudinal Studies Branch is HSB's major sponsor (client), and the National Opinion Research Center (contractor) conducted the base year and follow-up…

In its role as a broker between the scientific community and the Congress, the Office of Technology Assessment evaluates the soundness of scientific conclusions for policy makers and ensures that research findings are included in formative policy analysis. (Author)

The events leading up to a controversial external evaluation in a small school district in Chicago are described from the client's viewpoint. Focus is on the community unrest and tension that shaped the evaluation contract. (TJH)

This article refers to two uses of the term "program theory": (1) microtheory to describe the model of the program; and (2) macrotheory which is concerned with factors that affect social change both within and outside programs. Barriers to successful utilization of evaluation and suggestions to overcome those barriers are discussed. (JAZ)

Program theory and implementation process theory contribute, respectively, to specifying the what and the why of program delivery. This article discusses the relationship between these two theories and the types of data collection methods that can be derived from each in order to contribute to more comprehensive evaluation designs. (JAZ)

Evaluation must take into account both executive and legislative politics and their interactions. A five-part continuum evaluation process is suggested for the development of a policy question and its translation into knowledge that is credible, timely, responsive, and usable. Evaluators have a major responsibility in this process. (Author/JAZ)

Program theory can be used to improve programs and policies. This article describes a set of techniques for complicating and simplifying program theory, referred to as conceptual and action heuristics. Methods such as analyzing metaphors, clarifying concepts, mapping, component assessment, causal modeling, and decision analysis are discussed. (JAZ)

The substantial differences in program evaluation practices in Canada and the United States are discussed focussing on the historical context and the political and cultural environments. Program evaluation has developed in Canada to address the concerns of accountability of public funds in a context of economic restraint. (Author/BS)

In one federally funded program, the third-party evaluator was under contract with the program evaluated and not the federal funding agency. The social structure of this arrangement has implications for information utilization. (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA 94104, single issue, $6.95.) (Author/GDC)

Examples of innovative program evaluation techniques developed in several foreign and international settings are presented in a collection of 10 essays. Methods for understanding programs to be evaluated, focusing evaluation, gathering information, analyzing information, and communicating findings and recommendations are discussed. (TJH)