The preceding articles in this issue describe a diverse range of projects which had in common the aim of implementing or improving the practice of formative assessment, and thereby to secure some of the benefits attributed to it. This article attempts to set up a framework within which each of the different studies may be located and…

The author enjoyed reading Katharine Hay's ambitious and humbling visions for evaluation field building in South Asia. She has successfully positioned herself on a high mountain with a wonderful set of binoculars that enable her to see the entire evaluation landscape of South Asia. She magically sees and describes significant historical forces and…

The formula is simple: Highly effective teachers equal student academic success. Yet, the physics of American education is anything but. Thus, the question facing education reformers is how can teacher effectiveness be accurately measured in order to improve the teacher workforce? Given the demand for objective, quantitative measures of teacher…

Strategies for use by clients who commission evaluation studies in the private, university, or governmental sector are outlined. Topics covered include establishing the purpose of the evaluation, assembling in-house management staff, specifying work and expertise requirements, establishing confidentiality and project control, and managing results.…

This new edition is the result of an extensive review of the standards as defined in 1981. Taken as a set, the 30 current standards provide a working philosophy for evaluation. They define the Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation's conception of the principles that should guide and govern program evaluation efforts, and they offer…

This paper examines the current academic and policy literatures concerning school evaluation in primary and secondary education within the OECD countries. First, it provides a typology of the existing systems of school evaluation across the OECD. It encompasses the diverse criteria and instruments commonly used to carry out schools evaluation, as…

Review and examination of the current literature on reference interview evaluation explores the degree to which such evaluative practices are both desirable and achievable. It is concluded that, if both quantitative and qualitative techniques are appropriately used, accurate mechanisms of evaluation are possible and desirable. (17 references) (LRW)

Twelve articles discuss the advantages of theory-driven evaluation for: (1) identifying crucial issues; (2) integrating program implementation into evaluation; (3) diagnosing problems in program studies; (4) diagnosing problems in program structures; and (5) enhancing evaluation utilization. Topics include optimizing validity in program and…

Outlines influences on evaluation: demand for more highly skilled graduates, reduced availability of public funds, mixed educational concerns, gap between evaluation knowledge and practice, simplicity/complexity dilemma. Proposes categorization of types/levels of evaluation: basic research, program evaluation, student learning assessments, process…

Evaluation is important to public education and training programs if the United States is to be competitive in a global economy. Six major factors have had an impact on evaluation efforts: decreased financial resources, increased public dissatisfaction, changed management approaches, enhanced evaluation methods and procedures, redesigned…

This report focuses on the question of how to evaluate workplace education programs. Chapter 1 outlines the various purposes that those involved in workplace education programs have defined for workplace education and describes program models in place to meet those goals. Chapter 2 sets out three scenarios for evaluation at present: informal,…

This document is comprised of the single 2000 issue of a newsletter of the Harvard Family Research Project, designed to share new ideas and experiences in evaluating systems reform and comprehensive child and family services. The issue focuses on after-school programs and includes the following articles: (1) "Building the After School…

This document is comprised of the 1998 issues (issues 3 and 4 are combined) of a quarterly newsletter produced by the Harvard Family Research Project to share new ideas and experiences in evaluating systems reform and comprehensive child and family services. Regular columns include: "From the Director's Desk,""Theory and…

This handbook is designed to help educators understand program evaluation processes so that they will be able to carry out evaluation tasks and talk knowledgeably to evaluators about what they want to find out from a program evaluation. The book reviews the purposes and uses of evaluation to help the reader identify the scope and direction of the…

This report reviews the benchmarking practices that are presently being used at community colleges. It introduces the concept of a "culture of inquiry" as a means for judging their potential value. It classifies benchmarking efforts among three types--performance, diagnostic, and process--and characterizes each by its typical use. The…