We review the value of cost-effectiveness analysis for evaluation and decision making with respect to educational programs and discuss its application to early reading interventions. We describe the conditions for a rigorous cost-effectiveness analysis and illustrate the challenges of applying the method in practice, providing examples of programs…

Deciding whether and how to use assessments to evaluate students' social and emotional (SE) knowledge, attitudes, and skills requires the development and critical appraisal of an assessment plan. At the state, district, and school levels, education leaders and staff can benefit from reviewing best practices and using a structured format to arrive…

Education in the 21st century is awakening to a call for students who are not only proficient with academic content but who also have developed the social and emotional (SE) knowledge, attitudes, and skills that are necessary for success in college and careers. This brief refers to that combination of knowledge, attitudes, and skills as SE…

Assessing individuals' social and emotional (SE) knowledge, attitudes, and skills is a complex task. It requires careful consideration of the assessment purpose, rigor, practicality, burden, and ethics. Once you have considered these factors and have determined that you are, in fact, "Ready to Assess," you are ready to act and choose an…

An approach toward integrating evaluation into a program at its inception is presented as a way to increase utility and cost-effectiveness. Examples illustrate that such integration, combining internal and external evaluation, is preferable to independent and separate evaluation in terms of the cost to stakeholders. (SLD)

After a discussion of the underutilization of cost analysis in education, this article offers several explanations for the relative scarcity of cost-based evaluations in education and considers the potential for greater use of such studies. Developing frameworks to unpack costs may be a way of bringing about greater use of cost-based evaluation.…

This article reviews experiences in the United States over the past 15 years in developing standards to guide and assess the work of professional evaluators. It introduces the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation's "Program Evaluation Standards" and overviews the Committee's project to develop "Educational…

Not all data for a program evaluation may be equally valuable, and costs of collection may vary when using several methods to obtain data from several sources. An approach to maximize information yield for a fixed, limited budget using a mathematical technique known as linear programming is described and generalized. (Author/CM)

The role of evaluation in electric utility demand-side management (DSM) programs is explored, including the importance of evaluation in determining financial incentives that a company will earn for DSM programs. A hypothetical example is presented of the types of problems that might arise when evaluations are subject to litigation. (SLD)

Describes different types of financial reports needed in libraries as the bases for accountability, evaluation, and decision making. The appropriate form and content of reports are identified in terms of the audience and the use of the report. (CLB)

The phenomenon of empowerment in evaluation is examined by hypothesizing possible benefits and harms that may accrue from the program development process and the impact both may have on the evaluation. The evaluation of the Health Care Intervention Service of New York State offers an example. (SLD)

The costs and benefits of recent statewide and nationwide educational assessment programs are examined. The purpose of this paper is to present and substantiate some critical lessons and observations concerning: how the costs and benefits of large-scale assessments (LSAs) can be appraised, and the utility of this type of research to policymakers…

Strengths and weaknesses of three types of semiquantitative methods used by the federal government in research impact assessment are presented, and examples of their use are reviewed. These include the classic retrospective method, another retrospective approach, and accomplishments books used by selected research-sponsoring organizations. (SLD)

Discusses the use of transaction-cost economics in measuring the impact of educational reforms and whether these reforms are likely to succeed in the "real life" of schools. Several current educational reforms are judged on the basis of their transaction costs and consequent prospects for success. (GR)

The history of research and development (R&D) and its evaluation within the 3M Company are traced as an example of the progression of the use of evaluation and evaluation techniques. Scoring methods, cost-benefit analysis, and risk analysis have been among the most frequently used program evaluation methods. (SLD)