Presents the T-H-E-M-E-S system for designing interdisciplinary learning activities for middle school students. Participating teachers are urged to think up a monstrous list of themes, hone the list and group themes into three manageable lots, extrapolate selection criteria, manipulate and process themes, expand into activities triggered by…

This essay provides some background on, explanation of, and justification of a theoretical framework for all types of evaluation. This framework is used to connect and underpin the approaches of other contributors to this special issue. A core discipline of evaluation is proposed that ties assorted evaluation fields together. (SLD)

Used static and dynamic features of classroom environment to describe impact of special education program on 84 behaviorally disturbed adolescent males. Although program apparently met its objectives (increases in appropriate behaviors and decreases in inappropriate behaviors), ecobehavioral data suggest that students were mostly involved in…

The "balanced scorecard" approach for making holistic decisions about organizational change offers a framework for analyzing four critical organizational perspectives (financial, customer, internal business, learning/innovation), using specific indicators of success that focus on the organization's vision or mission. It can be used…

Analyzes educational equity in science and mathematics and proposes a practical way to assess equity in systemic reform. Develops definitions of equity and equitable education. Contains 40 references. (DDR)

Develops a mixed-format measure of teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of a school-tours program. Describes the development and composition of the measure, evaluates its reliability level, and presents validity evidence. Reports that data support the reliability and validity of the measure as a reflection of teacher perceptions. (DSK)

Identifies three needs: critical discourse between evaluators of vocational training programs and policymakers/administrators; greater convergence between training policy and labor market policy; and coherent research using both process- and product-oriented quality indicators. (SK)

Addresses the issues faced when evaluating an early-childhood gifted-education program from two fields of study, early childhood and gifted education, that represent different perspectives. Describes the evaluation process and the resulting effect of the evaluation on the constituents and stakeholders of an early-childhood program. (Author/CR)

Discusses virtual schools that have a World Wide Web presence and use the Web and the Internet, provides an evaluation methodology, and describes three specific virtual schools: The Virtual High School, a collaborative of high schools from across the United States; The Virginia Internet High School; and Cyberschool, in Eugene, Oregon. (LRW)

Summarizes a study applying a focus interviewing technique to assist stakeholders with evaluating a 3-day staff-development training with monthly follow up sessions. Contrasts use of surveys and focus-group interviews as assessment tools. New information gained from focus groups helped the principal identify weaknesses in the staff-development…

Describes the steps of the Pyramid Evaluation Model to evaluate programs and outcomes systematically and comprehensively through an impact model that examines goals, reviews program design, monitors program implementation, assesses outcomes and impact, and analyzes efficiency . (Author/JOW)

Policies, commissioning bodies, methods, and criteria for both internal and external evaluation of research at universities in eight countries (Finland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, France) are compared, and the effects of evaluations on the finance, structure, and research problems are examined. (MSE)

In this age of accountability, evaluation must become an integral part of staff development. This paper describes what evaluation is; the three types of evaluation (planning, formative, and summative); and the five critical stages of staff development evaluation. It presents 12 guidelines for improving the quality of professional-development…

Examines the role of prototype case studies as the foundation for later evaluation through two studies from the "R&D Value Mapping Project," a study that will involve more than 30 cases. Explores the usefulness of case studies in defining and assessing subsequent research efforts. (SLD)

Identifies 10 characteristics of stable systems of performance funding for public colleges and universities based on a survey of state and campus policymakers in 9 of the 10 states with performance funding in 1996. Respondents agreed on the importance of careful choice of performance indicators, recognition of the difficulty of measuring higher…