Cost studies are program evaluations that judge program worth by relating program costs to program benefits. There are three sets of strategies: cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, and cost-utility analysis, although the last appears infrequently. The authors searched relevant databases to identify 103 cost studies in education and then reduced the…

The design and implementation of the Food Stamp Program's Simplified Application Demonstration Project are analyzed. The project was developed to test strategies which could reduce administrative costs and errors in the Food Stamp Program. This evaluation report presents data in the following categories: (1) administrative cost savings; (2)…

The operations of the 50 Army National Guard (ARNG) schools were reviewed to determine if the ARNG could meet its officer needs more effectively and economically. The study examined the following: (1) the numbers of officers being produced by the various ARNG commissioning sources, particularly the state officer candidate schools (OCS); (2) the…

Prime indicators for realistic short term/long term project goals are budgets and timetables. Concrets, identifiable objects are useful in separating eloquent rhetoric from actual promises. Similarly, an external evaluator should be able to separate proposals with intentional misrepresentation of funding and goals from those which need further…

This report concentrates on the analysis and evaluation of programs utilized by New York State's Narcotics Addiction Control Commission (NACC) and concerned with control of narcotic drugs and with those individuals who abuse them. The three key premises, basic to the narcotic drug control programs approved by the state legislature, are: (1) there…

The report provides additional amplification for the concepts, purposes, techniques, and procedures of economic analysis. It also focuses on and discusses potential difficulties one is likely to encounter in doing an economic analysis. The key elements of the process are discussed in detail: (1) establishing and defining objectives, (2)…

This report discusses the findings of a study that investigated whether the New York State Education Department's Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) has improved its oversight of special education by implementing a system for evaluating the performance of special education programs, and whether…

The report on the management of recruit and initial skill training identifies delays in training cycles, their causes, and resultant costs. In visits to four recruit training centers, eight initial skill training schools, and various headquarters offices, the General Accounting Office (GAO) identified 1,979,000 man-days per year that new members…

During the 1987 World Health Organization's Regional Assembly, the Ministers of Health of the African States launched the Bamako Initiative, an effort aimed at reorganizing the health system to ensure universal, permanent accessibility of maternal and child health services. Three conditions were initially seen as necessary for success: improvement…

At Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC), all educational programs, as well as student services and support functions, are formally reviewed/evaluated in depth at least once every five years. This nine-part outline, providing a step-by-step description of the program review process at CNCC, includes the following sections: (1) the value…

A three-phase districtwide review of academic and occupational programs was initiated in the San Mateo County Community College District in March 1980. Phase I of the review involves a cost/yield efficiency study of programs and a determination of enrollment growth or decline over a 2-year period. Phase II of the process includes an in-depth…

This report presents an analysis of and conclusions (based on audits of projects) on the progress being made by state educational agencies (SEA's) in assuring that local educational agencies (LEA's) are designing and implementing projects to meet the needs of educationally deprived children. Two considerations are said to have been employed in…

This guidebook is designed to assist postsecondary occupational educators in the conduct of local program evaluation efforts. The Reality-Based Evaluation (RBE) system for program evaluation has been designed to be flexible within a general recommended structure and is intended to be adaptive rather than adoptive. A major tenet of RBE is that…

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of federally funded work force development programs, such as employment and training programs. Information, including budget data for fiscal years 1999 and 2000, was gathered on federally funded employment and training programs for which a key program goal is providing assistance…

An estimated 25 million American workers will need to upgrade their skills during the 1990s if the U.S. economy is to stay competitive. The contribution of computers and electronic technology to productivity in education still remains to be proved. In the 1990s, technology for adult basic skills training will mean interactivity, multimedia, and…