Early childhood stakeholders in state departments of education are interested in knowing what child assessment measures are being used in state-funded pre-kindergarten and in kindergarten classrooms. To address this need, the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) performed a secondary analysis of data in the National Institute for…

The chapter explores critical roles of internal evaluators in contemporary organizational settings. The need is highlighted for an expanded, reconfigured, unorthodox set of roles and styles of work to meet the needs of the emerging learning organizations effectively. A discussion of major categories of internal evaluator roles emerged from the…

This article explores the relationships between kinds of evaluations, analytic methods, and interpersonal processes and the acceptance of recommendations by decision makers. Detailed typologies based on a review of the literature provide the basis for quantitatively testing concepts about the utilization of evaluations against empirical data.…

Draws on interviews with 61 officials in 13 federal agencies to illustrate a framework showing many of the potential uses of evaluation in support of performance management. Suggests 10 actions as opportunities for agency administrators and evaluators to bridge the current gaps between potential and actual uses of evaluation. (Author/SLD)

Evaluators must use a flexible, open-minded approach oriented toward a holistic view of the implementation and operation of the program they are analyzing. The use of more than one methodology expands the potential findings and avoids the limitations of a unidimensional approach. (SLD)

Following an introduction to the monograph in chapter 1, chapter 2 introduces the conceptual framework for an evaluation model as part of a 9-step continual process of program planning, feedback, and change. Chapter 3 delineates program issues in prevention evaluation discussed from the manager's perspective, including major evaluation questions…

This workbook is designed for administrators with project responsibilities that are to be evaluated. The purpose is to help the administrator understand the factors that can affect evaluation use and organize for the evaluation to maximize the potential use of the information the evaluation produces. Four phases of organizing an evaluation to…

This handbook on organizing for evaluation use is oriented to those who commission or are administratively responsible for seeing that evaluations are performed. It is practical, clarifying the administrator's role in the evaluation process and providing worksheets for practice. Written with a minimum of technical language, it is useful for…

A study attempted to determine (1) whether nontraining managers' future financial support for the training function varied based on the amount and kind of information contained in written evaluation reports and (2) the deeper logic and behavior that nontraining managers used in making their decision. The research used a quasi-experimental design…

A good formative evaluator, who helps programs become as effective as possible, behaves remarkably like a good personal coach. Nine ways in which a formative evaluator can help a program manager are listed, and implications for practicing evaluators and the evaluation profession are detailed. (SLD)

This article describes the on-going evaluation of a pilot program characterized by: (1) cooperation between program managers and evaluators; (2) first-hand knowledge about the implementation of the pilot; and (3) a focus on summative and formative evaluations. Evaluators participated actively in the design of the pilot. (Author/SLD)

Developed an instrument to evaluate the performance of educational administrators at a Canadian medical school. After 3 yearly evaluations, 20 administrators and 80 evaluators acknowledged broader input into evaluation, but saw little evaluation-related improved performance. (SLD)

This report presents the results of a yearlong study of the process of evaluation use in a large city school district. Based on extensive naturalistic data-gathering, the research documents how local school administrators use evaluation information generated by the district's research and evaluation unit. The significance of the research is the…

Several contextual factors were investigated related to the information needs of educational administrators. In a survey of 119 administrators, the following issues were studied: (1) varying preferences for different information sources; (2) the effects on preferences for information sources of different decision or program development tasks; (3)…

In recognition of the reduction in the number of educational evaluators functioning in the nation's schools, it is argued that educational evaluation must be promoted because of its direct and personal benefit to the individuals who authorize such evaluations. An argument is presented to use with authorizers of evaluation studies. (Author/SLD)