This monograph provides a theoretical substantiation for benefit-cost analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis in school system planning. Nine examples of decision-making situations are presented. A simple case of a single objective to be attained with one plan being selected from a set of proposed plans with no resource constraints evolves into a…

This paper presents methods and techniques for improving the educational aspirational level of disadvantaged senior high school students. The objectives of the program are listed, followed by a list of ten activity areas within which the substance of the motivational thrusts of the project are to be implemented. The activity areas are discussed.…

The main purpose of this project was to develop a blueprint for the future growth of the AASA-National Academy for School Executives. The resulting comprehensive model is displayed in outline form through the use of a conceptual framework that includes three major processes -- program planning and development, implementation, and evaluation. Each…

Examines both the explicit and implicit assumptions behind the Kirkpatrick evaluation model. Attempts to demonstrate conceptually the danger of simplistic evaluation approaches and argues for rigorous evaluation designs. (CSS)

A self-assessment program was developed at Arizona State University to help undergraduate students explore teaching as a career. In this program, students are exposed to the teaching role in practice and examine their own values, attitudes, behaviors, and personal characteristics. A description of the program and possible benefits are discussed.…

Presents descriptions, advantages, and disadvantages of six needs assessment tools which can be used for continuing education: The simple checklist, the reiterated checklist, the Delphi II assessment, "asking," the matrix assessment, and the pyramid assessment. Emphasis is on the Delphi II technique. (TA)

This article discusses the purpose of gifted program evaluation and identifies some of the pertinent issues involved in evaluating gifted programs. The gifted program delivered by the Peel District Board of Education in Ontario, Canada, is used to illustrate key evaluation considerations, including gifted identification procedures and gifted…

The theory-based evaluation approach documents the assumptions implicit in program design and points to the data required to test these assumptions. Collecting and analyzing such data through quantitative and qualitative techniques enhances understanding of the validity of the assumptions and the relevance of key program processes. This article…

Program design can aid problem-solving or decision-making tasks faced by evaluators. It can be used to facilitate evaluation planning through the definition of program boundaries and the generation and focusing of evaluation questions. Further, it can provide evaluation information about theoretical, historical, and political contexts of a…

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…

An evaluation of application of the conceptual mapping technique (Inglis, 2003) to the team-based design of fourteen courses in an Engineering undergraduate program is described. The evaluation employed a method of scoring each conceptual map against criteria tied to the objectives of the design process. The evaluation method was found to be…

This book presents an organizational model for reading program development. Following an overview of the program-planning/needs-assessment design, two sections of the book explain the step-by-step procedures of the model, focusing first on program planning, then on needs assessment. The section on program planning discusses ways of identifying and…

A design for bilingual/bicultural education should begin with the assumption that cultural, racial, and linguistic differences are an integral and positive part of American society. School districts that want federal assistance in bilingual/bicultural programs should be able to demonstrate a commitment to this philosophy. Program planners should…

This handbook has been designed to assist personnel within the Chicago Public Schools to assess the operation of their government funded programs, make certain that these programs are being implemented in accordance with the design as funded, and that they are in compliance with appropriate legislation and guidelines. The handbook establishes a…

Presented in this volume are the results of the efforts of the staff of the Adult Learning Center of North Carolina State University to develop and validate a new concept in adult education. Intended to assist planners, teachers, graduate students and others who are faced with the task of applying educational solutions to problems of human…