Central to the mission of most educational institutions is the task of preparing the next generation of citizens to contribute to society. Schools, colleges, and universities value a range of outcomes--e.g., problem solving, creativity, collaboration, citizenship, service to community--as well as academic outcomes in traditional subjects. Often…

Presents the perspectives on commissioning and using evaluations of community-based agency leaders through interviews with four such leaders. Discusses respondents' needs and experiences in commissioning and using evaluations and their ideas about ideal evaluation products. (Author/SLD)

Scratch the surface of any successful organization and readers will likely find systems designed to evaluate how well it runs. The approach to evaluation presented in this book can be applied in a variety of contexts, but the focus here is on the evaluation of leadership development initiatives. Effective evaluations keep leadership development…

The authors sought to identify barriers to participation for Latino people at Dodge Nature Center (DNC) in West St. Paul, MN. The authors used a multi-method approach, which included collecting demographic information, surveying the DNC staff, and interviewing Latino community leaders and parents. Results showed that unfamiliarity with DNC,…

This is a 5-booklet instructional kit focusing on practical ways to assess the health and social needs of children and youth in local communities. The needs assessment model described in the kit was developed and pretested in Boston, Massachusetts. The first booklet, "Learning About Your Community's Needs," provides a framework for the…

Using the Dunkin and Biddle model, this field study examined the effects of the application of the assessment and goal-setting stage of the Enhanced Normative Systems Model (ENSM) on change at a state university. The ENSM, a blending of the Normative Systems Model and Metanoic Principles, emphasizes participant decision making and cultural change.…

This monograph contains three structured interview guides for interviewing principals, parents, and community leaders regarding gifted education as part of the needs assessment process under the Javits Grant Program. Many of the interview questions are multiple choice and all questions also solicit comments. The first interview is for building…