Program evaluation is recognized as an essential skill set for practitioners in service-related fields, such as education, nonprofit management, social work, and public health. Recently, the need for a public workforce trained in evaluation has increased and is driven primarily by our nation's emphasis on accountability during a time when…

This report presents the results of the formative evaluation of the Adult Learning, Literacy and Essential Skills Program (ALLESP). Data collection related to this evaluation took place between November 2008 and May 2009. The evaluation resulted in the following four recommendations: (1) It is recommended that Program objectives and activities…

Despite the key role that principals play in leading schoolwide change, districts' efforts to support principals are often limited, particularly in rural settings. In this article, we report the preliminary findings of a cross-district mentoring program for nine midcareer rural school principals. The collaboratively developed human resource…

Every teacher can recall a range of experiences in professional development workshops. Some of these may have provided opportunities in which teachers felt engaged, empowered, and supported as learners, while others felt disconnected from practice. Although these authors recognize that workshops, particularly those with no follow-up support, are…

A conceptual model based on three frameworks--traditional functionalist, micropolitical, and adult learning--for evaluating clinical experiences in administrator education is developed in this paper. Surveys mailed to 74 students in a university educational administration program elicited 40 responses, a 54 percent return rate. Statistical and…

This book provides an overview of program planning for adult learning from philosophical and pedagogical perspectives. It contains 19 papers and an introduction by the editor, Peter S. Cookson. The following are included: "A Conceptual Context for Program Planning" (Peter S. Cookson); "Prototypical Program Planning…

Professional development practices implemented in rural school systems have often led nowhere. These practices seem to produce adult learning activities with few results other than participants' mounting frustration and another innovation left by the wayside. To encourage the development of productive professional development, many studies are…

A workshop on adult basic education (ABE), held at Ohio State University, was organized around the team approach in developing a model learning center, field experiences in the Columbus area, and speeches by special consultants. This document presents these speeches -- on such topics as adult learning, psychological characteristics of ABE…

School leaders can benefit by considering their faculty as adult learners in transformation while they are learning educational technology. In this article a Journey of Transformation model is presented to assist school leaders in meeting the challenges of the postinformation age. The model is grounded in transformational learning research and…

This handbook introduces a new training model that reflects the complexity of organizational life, changes in the human resources (HR) function, and the need to involve line management. Part I outlines the new context in which training must be delivered. It discusses the changing organizational requirements for training and the changing position…

Many organizations are not satisfied that their methods of evaluating training are rigorous or extensive enough to answer questions of value to them. Complaints about Kirkpatrick's popular four-step model (1959) of training evaluation are that each level is assumed to be associated with the previous and next levels and that the model is too simple…

This guide for developing programs for adult learners is called "interactive" because it involves cooperation among planners, organizational sponsors, and program participants. The following are among the topics covered in the guide's 14 chapters: understanding the program planning enterprise (who plans programs and how); using the interactive…

The following 26 papers are presented in this document: "The Relationship between the Adult's Cognitive Style and Achieving Style to Preference for Self-Directed Learning" (Bitterman); "Developing a Mentoring Program for Persons in Independent Work Sites" (De Vries); "Reflection and the Problem of Self-Deception in Adult Learning" (Dirkx); "A…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on cost analysis, evaluation, and feedback in human resource development. "Training Evaluation with 360-Degree Feedback" (Froukje A. Jellema) reports on a quasi-experimental study that examined the effectiveness of 360-degree feedback in evaluating the training received by nurses in a…

This book, which is designed for trainers responsible for training other trainers, outlines and illustrates the principles of a program in which trainers are prepared to promote adult learning and change. Part 1: "Training That Respects the Learner," presents insights from popular education and a model for training trainers in the…