Increasing demands for accountability in educational programming have resulted in increasing calls for program evaluation in educational organizations. Many organizations include conducting program evaluations as part of the job responsibilities of program staff. Cooperative Extension is a complex organization offering non-formal educational…

Although staff training in public child welfare agencies is thought to be a critical component of effective practice, little is known about the delivery and effectiveness of training interventions. Few evaluations are published in the literature and it is uncertain how much evaluation activity is being conducted and utilized. This study collected…

This manuscript describes the development and testing of an Internet-based cost survey that was designed by the authors for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) to capture the costs of school-based health programs. The intent of the survey was twofold. First, the survey was designed to collect comprehensive data on costs in a…

Linkages between utilization and stakeholder participation in the evaluation process are discussed, with emphasis on the communication of results. Data from two small-scale participatory evaluations are used to support the argument that key elements of the participatory process can be linked to meaningful and multiple forms of research…

The traditional view that an activity's comparative impact on collective welfare ought to guide resource allocation is refuted. A paradigm of a multisystem society with the non-fungibility of investment resources an essential issue in project appraisal is presented. (SLD)

Draws on interviews with 61 officials in 13 federal agencies to illustrate a framework showing many of the potential uses of evaluation in support of performance management. Suggests 10 actions as opportunities for agency administrators and evaluators to bridge the current gaps between potential and actual uses of evaluation. (Author/SLD)

Techniques developed in a federal agency to forge links between evaluators and decision makers using evaluation information are described. Focus is on engaging the decision maker in the identification of candidate programs, selection among candidates, program evaluation, reporting of evaluation results, and assessment of evaluation impact. (SLD)

Twelve specific suggestions for evaluators concerning development, presentation, and followup of improved evaluation recommendations are discussed. Offering effective recommendations requires special skills that need to be recognized, studied carefully, and passed along to practitioners and students. (TJH)

The concept of evaluation readiness complements other evaluation planning approaches. Its basic products are the formal program definition and the data inventory framework. Ways to improve timeliness, appropriateness, and use of evaluation are also discussed. (Author/GDC)

Evaluators must use a flexible, open-minded approach oriented toward a holistic view of the implementation and operation of the program they are analyzing. The use of more than one methodology expands the potential findings and avoids the limitations of a unidimensional approach. (SLD)

This paper discusses social and organizational differences between client-focused, volunteer-staffed programs and comparable paid-personnel programs. Particular attention is given to the effects of these differences on three aspects of the evaluation process: initiation of the evaluation, need for process evaluation, and utilization of evaluation…

Bank's report of a long-term evaluation of the Bureau of Jewish Education, discussed in the previous article, is reviewed and commented on from the following points of views: (1) effects of local ecology on evaluation activities; (2) implications of the case study for the role and training of evaluators; and (3) unemphasized aspects of the case…

This article describes the on-going evaluation of a pilot program characterized by: (1) cooperation between program managers and evaluators; (2) first-hand knowledge about the implementation of the pilot; and (3) a focus on summative and formative evaluations. Evaluators participated actively in the design of the pilot. (Author/SLD)

Twelve articles discuss the advantages of theory-driven evaluation for: (1) identifying crucial issues; (2) integrating program implementation into evaluation; (3) diagnosing problems in program studies; (4) diagnosing problems in program structures; and (5) enhancing evaluation utilization. Topics include optimizing validity in program and…

Challenges encountered in developing and maintaining an extensive evaluation program at Ohio State University are retrospectively reconstructed. The setting, the history of program development, and the nature of the program are described as a backdrop for discussion of six issues with implications for program development. (SLD)