With so many different types of support needed to help meet the diverse needs of young people, no one person, institution, or organization can provide everything that parents rely upon to help children and youth succeed. Numerous organizations need to play various roles, and must do so in a coordinated fashion, in order to meet the needs of…

This is a powerful critique of two decades of educational reform in New Zealand, from an educator who was deeply involved. It is also a provocative call for action. Bali Haque has been both a secondary school principal required to implement reform and a senior public servant in the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) tasked with pushing…

Program evaluation as a methodology is discussed, and its application to government export promotion programs is examined. Because the variety of approaches to export program evaluation, resulting data are often of limited usefulness. A programmatic approach to program evaluation is proposed. (TJH)

Arguing that empowering research techniques cannot, in and of themselves, inform and support the political aspirations of emancipatory intervention, this article outlines a critical approach to evaluation more consistent with the principles of empowering intervention. The Canadian Treasury Board's guide to program evaluation is used as an example.…

An overview is given of four evaluation studies conducted to determine the need for and possible parameters of a "postinterstate" highway policy. How these studies sought to provide cumulative information for policy makers is discussed. They investigated the scope of problems, the federal role, cost issues, and technology. (SLD)

The evaluation procedures and guidelines of the U.S. Agency for International Development that shape the involvement of managers and policymakers in developing countries that receive aid and the involvement of indigenous personnel are described, drawing on experiences of 177 evaluations in 50 countries. (SLD)

Reviews the status of national higher education evaluation systems and examines the lack of research into the process and nature of policy choice. Proposals are offered concerning methods to assist future policy choices and analysis of these systems. Identifies both positive achievements and controversial examples of national evaluation system…

In a review of statewide plans for assessing student learning at institutions of higher education, this paper argues that assessment, carefully planned to focus on students, can lead to an improvement in the communication and understanding between the academy and the polity. A brief section on the role of statewide assessment places it in a…

Practices in needs assessment are reviewed since 1981, the year the federal government changed the role it plays in promoting needs assessment in the public sector. The review is based on reports published to 1993 and indicates that needs assessment is flourishing in a variety of settings. (SLD)

The origins and content of President Clinton's plan for the reinvention of the federal government are described, and its impacts on evaluation are considered. An overall positive impact is expected, not withstanding initial disruptions through the reduction of midlevel management evaluation and changes in the roles of federal, state, and local…

This document contains a synthesis of the debate on the significant developments since 1986 and on the future agenda for literacy education, held at a seminar attended by 40 participants from 21 countries. The synthesis summarizes workshops on models of literacy practice, national policies, development of partnerships, evaluation, and research,…

The National Education Standards and Improvement Council (NESIC) was established in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. One of NESIC's duties is to identify areas in which specific educational standards ought to be developed. Several complex issues arise in carrying out this duty, such as: the need for standards in such non-content areas as…

This document, which is part of a toolkit for policymakers, donors, governments, nongovernmental organizations, and practitioners, presents the results of case studies of a group of 30 workforce development programs that were selected (during a 2-day workshop by a panel of 14 experts) as representing a balance among geographic regions served and…

The recent history of apprenticeship in Great Britain was examined to identify the issues arising from the latest reforms and future expansion of the system. A team of university academics with strong research interests in training and skills collected information from a large body of academic work in the field of apprenticeship and training and…