Analysis of the cost-effectiveness of 29 Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) models suggests that all 29 models are less cost-effective than an alternative approach for raising student achievement, involving rapid assessment systems that test students 2 to 5 times per week in math and reading and provide rapid feedback of the results to students and…

Described back-end synthesis as the creation and integration of the secondary intervention required for efficient and cost-effective implementation of performance improvement programs. Involving analysis, design, evaluation, revision, and implementation, this process is related to front-end analysis, and a sample application in a performance…

One aim of student evaluation of instruction is the improvement of teaching quality, but there is little evidence that student assessment of instruction alone improves teaching. This study tried to improve the effects of evaluation by combining evaluation with individual counselling in an institutional development approach. Evaluation was…

In the late 1990s, the Korea Ministry of Education and Human Resources, in response to concern over the relatively low standing of the nation's universities and researchers, launched the Brain Korea 21 program BK21). BK21 seeks to make Korean research universities globally competitive and to produce more high-quality researchers in Korea. It…

The guide describes for colleges and universities how to establish and conduct a program of continuous improvement of administrative operations. An objective appraisal-review process is described that relies on mobilizing the pool of managerial and analytical talent already existing at every institution. For decisionmakers, an overview of…

Findings from an Employee Satisfaction Survey conducted in spring 2000 at Austin Community College (ACC) (Texas) indicate that: (1) staff in many areas need customer service training; (2) telephones are not used effectively by many offices; (3) many areas are not able to respond quickly to the needs of college staff; and (4) 18 highly used areas…

This summary outline presents performance evaluation procedures of the 1986-87 administrator accountability plan adopted by the Council Bluffs Community Schools, Iowa. Procedures ensure that a cooperative evaluation plan is established, there is continuity between evaluation cycles, guidance and assistance are provided, and due process is…

During the last decade, policy and public attention have focused increasingly on the out-of-school hours, and programs to fill this time have proliferated for children and youth. These programs serve varying purposes, including providing child care and a safe haven, improving academic performance, enhancing general youth development, allowing…

Performance-based accountability along with budget tightening has increased pressure on publicly funded organizations to develop and deliver programs that produce meaningful social benefits. As a result, there is increasing need to undertake formative evaluations that estimate preliminary program outcomes and identify promising program components…

Conducted a formative evaluation of an osteoporosis prevention health education program using several methods, including questionnaires completed by 256 women, and then compared formative evaluation results to those of a summative evaluation focusing on the same target group. Results show the usefulness of formative evaluation for strengthening…

Teacher evaluation has emerged as a major focus for reform at the highest levels of education policymaking, and for good reason. Most evaluations are based on scant evidence of actual effectiveness, produce inflated ratings, and provide teachers with little useful feedback. This paper offers policymakers and practitioners important "lessons…

Some of the difficulties encountered when attempting the formative evaluation of Open University television and radio programs are discussed, and a few tentative conclusions about how the developmental testing of these programs might develop are considered. (Author/JEG)

This paper reports the use of multi-attribute utility analysis for evaluating the goals and services of a state vocational rehabilitation agency. Uses included: (1) identification and clarification of agency goals and services; (2) engagement of stakeholders in the determination of measurable attributes of these goals; and (3) use of…

Formative and summative evaluations in education are compared, and appropriate uses of these methods in program evaluation are discussed. The main purpose of formative evaluation is to determine a level of mastery of a learning task, along with discovering any part of the task that was not mastered. In other words, formative evaluation focuses the…

To examine programs currently in place, an evaluation model was designed to insure inclusion of all those who have a stake in program performance. The evaluation design includes: (1) a set of researchable questions which are to be answered by the evaluation, each question referenced to one or more appropriate audiences; (2) for each question, the…