The historical development of current controversy over the use of quantitative or qualitative approaches in evaluation is traced. (Author/PN)

Although the evaluation of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I programs was mandated with its passage in 1965, the emphasis on evaluation increased in 1974 with the incorporation of Section 151. That section was redesignated in 1978 as Section 183. Section 183 included the directive that evaluations be conducted every third year, to…

In 1965, Robert Kennedy initiated federal evaluation policy with ESEA. His conception of political accountability was converted into a system of cost benefit analysis, which periodically justified funding curtailments. This systems approach, similar to Taylor's Scientific Management, is inadequate as the sole evaluation tool for federal programs.…

The history of the inclusion of an evaluation component in Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I programs is reviewed, specifically the Education Amendments of 1978, or Public Law 95-561. This law requires yearly needs assessment of students in all eligible areas, as well as the identification of instructional areas and special needs of…

Review of congressional hearings leading to the enactment of the Education Amendments of 1974 (Public Law 93-380), the initial response of the United States Office of Education, and the study conducted by the National Institute of Education as mandated in Section 821 of PL 93-380. (MH)

This paper traces the evaluation requirements of the Title I/Chapter 1 Program since 1966 to the present, discusses the implications of the evaluations, and reports on the evolution of evaluation during this 20 year period. The evaluations are described in four phases: (1) from a nadir of low quality, utility and precision (1966-1974); (2) to a…