Collaborative Evaluation systematically invites and engages stakeholders in program evaluation planning and implementation. Unlike "distanced" evaluation approaches, which reject stakeholder participation as evaluation team members, Collaborative Evaluation assumes that active, on-going engagement between evaluators and program staff,…

In this commentary, we examine Braverman's insights into the trade-offs between feasibility and rigor in evaluation measures and reject his assessment of the trade-off as a zero-sum game. We, argue that feasibility and policy salience are, like reliability and validity, intrinsic to the definition of a good measure. To reduce the tension between…

Studies were conducted by the American Institute for Research (AIR) under contract with the Department of Education (ED). An evaluability assessment determines the extent to which a program is ready for evaluation, the changes needed to make the program more manageable and accountable, and toward what questions a more extensive evaluation might…

The "CSE Program Evaluation Kit" is a series of nine books intended to assist people conducting program evaluations. This volume, the second in the kit, provides advice about planning an evaluation--from deciding on the major questions the evaluation is intended to address, through the general approach--and identifying the principal…

This guide is designed as a resource for leaders and evaluators of K-12 online learning programs. In this guide, the term "online learning" is used to refer to a range of education programs and resources in the K-12 arena, including distance learning courses offered by universities, private providers, or teachers at other schools;…

Arts-In-Education programs are among those curricula currently being evaluated in a day when all expenditures in education are being challenged. There are different ways to evaluate programs and no one way is the right way. Focuses on the responsibility of the evaluator and on how evaluation can effectively perform a service. (Author/RK)

The unique characteristics of the organizational context are reviewed, and it is shown how internal evaluation fits within them. The major factors that define the organizational context are delineated, including the emergence of the evaluation resource management function. (PN)

Provides a rationale for Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program evaluation, and discusses the development and use of the FLES Program Evaluation Inventory (FPEI). Questionnaires are provided for duplication, and step-by-step instructions are given for the administration, tabulation, and reporting of the five different forms.…

This paper offers a guide for a dual purpose evaluation plan that can provide information for local program managers and simultaneously serve the accountability and reporting needs of a state legislature, district office, or other policy making body. The dual focus approach has two advantages: (1) it provides a common information base for…

The Standardized Data Reporting System, developed by Indiana University under contract to UNESCO for the evaluation of functional literacy programs, is described and reproduced in part. The system has never been used, but still stands ready; the author hopes that publicizing its existence will create a demand for its utilization. (AJ)

The pamphlet describes an evaluation model for crime reduction projects developed by National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice sponsored research. It is meant to assist justice agency and project managers in determining completeness of evaluation planning by providing a framework against which to measure their evaluation…

The choice of methods is part of the overall evaluation design process. The process consists of the following steps: (1) analyzing the problem context; (2) asking a few general questions; (3) selecting the methods (strategies) to use; and (4) selecting the specific techniques (tactics) to use. To operate successfully the evaluator needs to know…

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…

General considerations in evaluating bilingual education programs and data aggregation at the state and national levels are presented. Federal and state information requirements and accountability guidelines include the needs for information/data for various audiences, for evaluation resources, for increased project capability to conduct…

This report reviews the effectiveness of national evaluation activities undertaken by the United States Office of Education, Office of Evaluation and Dissemination (OED) with regard to Title I compensatory education programs. Three major evaluations undertaken by the OED and technical assistance activities developed by the OED are described and…