More than a decade ago, Michael Lewis penned the influential book "Moneyball." An examination of how Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane used data to make his franchise competitive with wealthier baseball teams, the book struck a chord. Beane's strategy of making decisions based on data had a powerful and positive impact on the…

The Obama administration has offered states the chance to waive some requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. States are required, however, to make specific reforms in exchange for increased flexibility. The administration has been clear it wants states to engage in "ambitious but achievable" reforms rather than merely asking for a pass from…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), also known as the stimulus package, appropriated $100 billion for education and included $3 billion for school improvement grants (SIGs) to help reform low-performing schools. This amount was in addition to the $546 million provided by the regular fiscal year 2009 appropriations bill for…

The author analyzes the growth and nature of internal evaluation from the 1960s to the present and suggests that internal evaluation has been on the increase because of its perceived importance. Although the 1960s were characterized by a rich intellectual development of evaluation theory and practice, the fiscal conservatism of the 1980s ushered…

How can indigenous evaluators implement culturally competent models in First Nations communities while ensuring that government grant evaluation requirements are met? Through describing the challenges in one tribal community in the United States, this article will discuss how American Indian/Alaska Native substance abuse prevention programs are…

Discusses the political and economic factors that lay behind a federal mandate for evaluation of the 4-H program. Reviews the themes of other articles in this journal issue dealing with various aspects of the evaluation. (GC)

This report summarizes data that address several aspects of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's Title I program. It includes information on districts, schools and students served, range of instructional and support services provided, Title I staffing patterns, and schools' progress toward meeting performance standards as reported in Title…

The purpose of this report is to determine how well the Federal Government has done its civil rights enforcement job, particularly in eliminating discrimination in housing, during the period from January 1975 through August 1978. Reported on are the Government's activities under the following laws: (1) Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968;…

The Experience Based Career Education (EDCE) program serves as a focal point of a cast study documenting how the National Institute of Education secured Office of Education funds to demonstrate an R&D innovation. Serious questions are raised about the regulations-writing process and the use of evaluation information. (Author/LC)

Willson's informal analysis of the impact of 20 project evaluations suggests that many federal- and state-mandated evaluations have little effect on decision making. William J. Gephart reacts to this analysis and suggests reasons why evaluators' reports may not be used. Finally, Willson supports secondary data analysis. (GDC)

A description of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) precedes an examination of the CETA network. The three fold purpose of CETA is (1) to establish a flexible and decentralized system of federal, state, and local programs; (2) provide job-training and employment opportunities for the economically disadvantaged who are unemployed,…

This paper discusses Federal Title I administration, and focuses on the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's activity in rulemaking and monitoring and enforcement. It also examines some of the similarities and differences in the ways states manage Title I and the implications of these strategies for local districts, particularly urban…

In its 2001 performance and accountability report on the Department of Education, the General Accounting Office (GAO) identified challenges with student financial-aid programs, financial management, and other areas facing education. The information presented in this report is intended to help sustain congressional attention and a departmental…

The conclusions of the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) concerning the effects of consolidating federal categorical aid programs into block grant programs are presented in this report. The block grants reviewed were established before 1981 under the Partnership for Health Act, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, the Comprehensive…

An independent research consultant was contracted to describe the operation of the Minneapolis Public Schools' Title I programs for Neglected and Delinquent (N & D) children, to critique the current methods used to evaluate N & D programs, and to suggest improved evaluation methods for the future. This publication consists of two parts, a…