The act of valuing in an evaluation may be perceived in different ways. We consider the multiple theoretic perspectives that govern an evaluator's behavior and present a typology of evaluator valuing roles. Within this typology we describe three ways in which value judgments are typically reached--by stakeholders alone, stakeholders and evaluators…

Recommendations to increase the relevance of information, improve the communication of information, and increase user responsiveness to information are presented. Recommendations include the following: (1) the Department of Education (ED) should institute a flexible planning system for evaluations of federal education programs; (2) congressional…

This review of a research institute's evaluation of the national Follow Through program asserts that both the contracting office and the research institute failed to adequately specify the kind of study intended and the functions which it proposed to serve. One of several kinds of evaluation studies might have been undertaken: (1) a research…

This project, located in a large metropolitan school district, concerns the operation and evaluation of three Mathematics Demonstration Centers. In the first phase, directions are given about the necessary information to be gathered by the evaluating organization, (e.g. the school district administrative organization, size of school district,…

The authors present a framework depicting an evaluation-decision sequence, describe each of the evaluation stages, and note the relationships between evaluation information and subsequent decisions. In Chart I, the four major decision areas and the five kinds of evaluation which provide information for decisions in each of these areas are…

Studied the nature of barriers to the implementation of external program evaluation through interviews with 18 staff members of a university outreach program. Findings reinforce the importance of a trusting relationship to avoid barriers to evaluation implementation. (SLD)

The editors give each of the theorists a chance to respond to questions posed about the context of the situation in relation to their own experience in the field, exploring how the exercise had an impact on their evaluation designs.

The user-oriented and utilization-focused evaluation design of the two-year Caribbean Agricultural Extension Project, funded by Aid to International Development, is reviewed. The evaluation scope, stakeholders, evaluation team credibility, official approval of evaluation, and confidence in the evaluation process are addressed, within a…

Authors present their view of the current research and development activities supported by Byra L 4 of the Swedish National Board of Education. (Author)

The potential application of objectives and objective-based measures to evaluation problems of different types is discussed. A framework for categorizing educational evaluation problems and decision areas is used to support the discussion. Decision areas are: 1) selection of the appropriate problem or objective to be served; 2) selection and…

The theorists whose work appears in this issue have confronted the exercise presented to them in vastly different ways. The editors of this journal asked these theorists to consider how they would evaluate the Bunche-Da Vinci program, and to make and specify assumptions about the program context. The primary task, however, was to describe "a…

This study investigated the utility of Title I evaluation, and in particular, the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS). To examine utility, instances of evaluation use in state (SEA) and local education agencies (LEA) were identified, and the factors associated with that use were studied. Title I evaluation was used by SEAs to: insure…

Case studies of educational program evaluations demonstrate that utilization of evaluative information occurs; however, its forms and the forces influencing utilization are complex. Naturalistic methods were used to study utilization. (See RIE: ED 174 666). (Available from: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 433 California St., San Francisco, CA 94104, single…

Authors described various theories and methods of evaluation, as well as issues of procedure. (Editor /RK)

This workbook is designed for administrators with project responsibilities that are to be evaluated. The purpose is to help the administrator understand the factors that can affect evaluation use and organize for the evaluation to maximize the potential use of the information the evaluation produces. Four phases of organizing an evaluation to…