Innovation inducement prizes have been used for centuries. In the United States, a recent federal policy change--the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010--clarified and simplified a path by which all federal agencies can offer innovation inducement prizes, thus intensifying interest in how government agencies can most effectively design…

To conduct evaluations that can benefit individual programs as well as the field as a whole, environmental educators must have the necessary evaluation competencies. This exploratory study was conducted to determine to what extent a self-directed learning resource entitled "My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant" (MEERA) can…

Several years ago, California, along with other states, discovered that there was a layering effect of categorical programs, both state and federal. Most programs were aimed at unique populations--disadvantaged, bilingual, etc. This proliferation and the evaluation requirements inherent in each of the categorical efforts created problems of…

Evaluations of Chapter 1 programs usually center on one of three questions: (1) Does the program constitute an appropriate Federal investment? (2) Does the program have the potential to benefit students? and (3) Is the program feasible enough to implement? Often, evaluators and legislators disagree over which of these questions is most important.…

This paper reviews the findings of TEMPO's 1967 and subsequent evaluation studies and offers some conclusions and recommendations aimed at strengthening Title I compensatory education programs. An overview of Title I and a description of the TEMPO study and its methodology are provided. It is stated that, with the measurement methods used, no…

This general program evaluation framework provides a wide range of criteria that can be applied in the evaluation of diverse federal progams. The framework was developed from a literature search on program evaluation methods and their use, the experiences of the United States Government Accounting Office (GAO), and consideration of the types of…

This progress report describes study objectives, research design, field survey activities, and analysis plans for the evaluation of the Emergency School Assistance Program (ESAP), a federal program to aid local educational agencies in bringing about racial desegregation of their public school systems. A need for evaluation is explained in terms of…

The effects of a multi-phased assessment on the management and modification of Federal special education programs and policy is discussed. The purposes and methodology of the three-part assessment procedures (evaluability assessment, rapid feedback assessment, and the performance monitoring system) are presented. This is followed by a description…

A study was conducted to develop a theoretical framework for unbiased estimation of the dynamic net impact of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) programs on participants' earnings. (The possibility of selectivity bias arises from the non-random nature of participation in the program. That is, if participation is a function of…

This paper examines the issues arising when a set of federally funded model demonstration projects, the secondary curricula/student transition projects of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, were obligated by federal initiative to improve the amount, quality, and use of evaluation. These issues included: (1) the nature of…

A description and evaluation of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I-funded projects for the state of Arkansas is reported in this document. Fifty-seven percent of the students participating in Title I programs are white, while thirty-four percent are Latin American, American Indian or Oriental. Instructional activities in the Title I…

Given the fundamental program changes that have occurred in the nation's social programs since President Reagan took office, federal evaluation activities need to be rethought and redirected. It is critical that the utility of programs be documented, economical delivery services be developed, and redundancy of interventions be reduced to optimize…

This paper traces the evaluation requirements of the Title I/Chapter 1 Program since 1966 to the present, discusses the implications of the evaluations, and reports on the evolution of evaluation during this 20 year period. The evaluations are described in four phases: (1) from a nadir of low quality, utility and precision (1966-1974); (2) to a…

This report describes the project components of this Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I program in Hawaii in 1974. It identifies the extent of education achievement and specifies those influences which encourage positive learning behavior in children. The components of the project are: the reading resource rooms; the remedial…

After an introductory commentary in which recommendations for and evaluations of the government's handling of international educational and cultural affairs are offered, this report indicates a need for continuity of personnel in both the Advisory Commission and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. A proposal is made to establish a…