Examines budgetary cutbacks in federal data systems. Concludes that (1) justifications for cutbacks are unconvincing; (2) cutbacks have affected data availability and quality severely; (3) the feasibility of the idea that major data users should collect their own information is dubious; and (4) special evaluation studies cannot substitute for…

Evaluation is a part of political process, but public policy decisions are not always based on evaluations. The following steps should be used to enhance this process: (1) develop policy questions; (2) translate them into evaluation questions; (3) conduct the evaluation; (4) answer the policy questions; and (5) use the results to generate new…

Evaluation synthesis, a meta-evaluation method developed by the General Accounting Office to improve evaluation utilization by legislators, is described. It is designed to: (1) focus on the information needs and priorities of legislators, and (2) ensure continuous communication between sponsor and evaluator. The strengths and limitations of this…

The results, and their implications, of research described in the report "Education Information: Changes in Funds and Priorities Have Affected Production and Quality" are discussed. Prepared by the General Accounting Office (GAO), the above research report covered selected years between 1973 and 1986. High-quality information on…