Ecuador is one of the first developing countries to attempt a full-scale sector analysis of elementary education. It is hoped that by focusing this article on the first phase of the study (design and data collection), a valuable contribution might be made to efforts in other countries. (RC)

The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, it identifies a number of needs assessment issues and, second, it describes the operationalization of a needs assessment project based in one particular college setting. It confronts the realities of practice with the ideals of instructional modeling. (CE)

The state-of-the-art in program evaluation and the latest approaches to teacher evaluation are described. A general model for personnel evaluation is presented, and a design is suggested for merging the two. The basic premise is that all educational evaluation rests on the evaluation of student needs. (SLD)

Program evaluation is a tri-level process: evaluation of the learners, of the program against its own objectives, and as compared against a criterion program. Evaluation of innovative programs is primarily an issue of definition, and they should be judged in terms of the needs they were designed to satisfy. (Author/CTM)

A theoretical conceptualization of training needs assessment is developed using the example of distance education of paramedical personnel (nurses) in the developing countries of Africa. Accurate training needs analysis and a baseline survey are essential for program development. (SLD)

A discrepancy score evaluation technique was successfully implemented in California, thereby allowing parents, teachers, and students to provide information regarding the students' needs. However, the same method failed in American Samoa due to the parents' perceptions of teachers as experts and the amount of teacher time necessary for…

Self evaluation of organizations is recommended to avoid problems and bias associated with external evaluations. Four approaches to evaluation include testing, site visits, congruence between expected and achieved objectives, and naturalistic or qualitative evaluation. The five judgement stages of evaluation are described; needs, goals,…

The extent to which evaluation results answer different stakeholders' needs was explored in the evaluation of a business English course at Van Leer Institute for the Development of Executive Assistants in Tel-Aviv (Israel), using diagnostic tests. Students (n=52), teachers, curriculum team, and administrators could use the evaluation results. (SLD)