Four key entities participating in foreign assistance projects are (1) donors; (2) technical advisors; (3) host country counterparts; and (4) beneficiaries. Resistance to collaborative evaluation that each may exhibit is discussed, along with ways evaluators can overcome resistance and enhance evaluation outcomes, credibility, and utilization.…

Assessing results of grants programs is illustrated with evaluation activities of the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. Methods considered are ex-ante peer review of proposed work, ex-post peer review of completed work, publications-based methods, and "look-back" methods tracing contributions of past work and…

An approach to evaluation initiated by the Kellogg Foundation called cluster evaluation (not to be confused with cluster sampling) is described. Cluster evaluation provides a skilled, credible evaluator to work with a cluster of projects to assure that useful and defensible information is obtained for program evaluation. (SLD)

Evaluation of the impact of prospective students' contacts with the institution is an objective of the admissions research agenda at Tufts University (Massachusetts). An annual survey gathers information on individuals who make inquiries but do not submit an application and on the parents of matriculating students. (MSE)

Examines benefits of three models for evaluating outdoor adventure programs: program monitoring with debriefings and check-offs; experimental evaluation; and qualitative, naturalistic observation. Illustrates and compares approaches using California 4-H adventure ropes course. Examines data's specificity, assumptions, ambiguities, and followup.…

The Research and Evaluation Support Services Unit of the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Education conducts program evaluations to provide information to senior management for decision making. The 10-step system used is described, which provides for planning, evaluation, and staff development. (TJH)

The practice and methods of federal research impact assessment are described. Three areas of evaluation (selection of research project, research review, and postresearch assessment) are examined, and different evaluation methods (qualitative, retrospective, and quantitative) are compared. Peer evaluation, the most common assessment method, is seen…

Discusses the role of libraries in providing emergent literacy experiences for children in day care and preschool programs. The importance of exposure to print is discussed, and a study is described that evaluated a library outreach program that was developed to promote emerging literacy in preschoolers. (LRW)

Discusses the integration of insider-managed baseline evaluation into project and program design in educational change processes. Drawing on examples taken from recent experiences of English language teaching projects in Central Europe and China, the benefits of using insider-managed baseline studies are outlined.(Author/VWL)

Rigorous evaluations of welfare-to-work programs have had a major impact on the formation of policy in the area of welfare reform, but it is not clear whether the high level of evaluation, especially with regard to randomized experiments, and impact can continue. Evaluators must strive for research methodologies that provide results for policy…

The satisfaction of 469 parents or guardians and 387 of their children who received mental health services at 22 community agencies in Illinois was assessed with standardized measures and procedures. Youths' satisfaction was less than that of their parents. Results are used to formulate a prediction model. (SLD)

Articles in this special issue consider different aspects of community-level evaluation research and demonstrate the emerging sophistication and promise of this field. Process evaluation, qualitative research, and meta-analysis are promising new directions for ensuring more appropriate levels of analysis and more appropriate outcomes. (SLD)

Transition courses for licensed practical nurses moving into associate degree programs and for registered nurses earning bypass credit in bachelor's degree programs was evaluated through surveys of 237 students and graduates, 68 supervisors, and faculty. Students invested half the time and money as regular students; they wanted better advisement…

Today's school counselors are faced with demands to demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of their counseling programs. Twenty-eight school counselors from a large Southwestern school district participated in a program evaluation training workshop designed to help them develop evaluation skills necessary for demonstrating program…

As prevention programs become disseminated, the most serious threat to effectiveness is maintaining the quality of implementation intended by the developers. This paper proposes a methodology for measuring quality of implementation in school settings and presents data from a pilot study designed to test several of the proposed components. These…