The author analyzes the growth and nature of internal evaluation from the 1960s to the present and suggests that internal evaluation has been on the increase because of its perceived importance. Although the 1960s were characterized by a rich intellectual development of evaluation theory and practice, the fiscal conservatism of the 1980s ushered…

The chronic and relapsing nature of substance abuse points to the need for continuing care after a primary phase of treatment. This article reviews the economic studies of continuing care, discusses research gaps, highlights some of the challenges of conducting rigorous economic evaluations of continuing care, and offers research guidelines and…

This discussion has outlined the role played by program costs in the three-stage policy process--policy formulation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation. It has described both the relevance and a framework for education policy evaluation. (Author/IRT)

Identifies, classifies, and describes the range of cost studies in education and how they may contribute to improved policy analysis. Presents three examples illustrating applications of cost analysis, and reflects on key issues from previous applications in educational policymaking and evaluation. (SLD)

This paper reviews a single, large-scale evaluation of a long-term, aid-financed program in some practical subjects in Kenyan secondary schools. The analysis presented is a meta-evaluation, an evaluation of an evaluation, undertaken by two of the authors of the evaluation. A brief account of the evaluation project is first provided. This is…

Dynamic analysis offers a comprehensive view of the cost benefit and cost effective dimensions of policy problems. It also provides the computational power to investigate the long term effects of policy decisions on the flow of resources in organizations and government agencies. (Author/MV)

A cost-effectiveness evaluation of an Arthritis Self-Management Program assessed direct and indirect costs through self-reporting of health services use. Diminished productivity and effectiveness were measured through a visual analog scale and the health status dimensions of the Canadian Medical Outcomes Study short form. (JOW)

Policy, or program, analysis has the responsibility for providing policymakers with timely information about the consequences of alternative courses of action. In elementary and secondary education, however, the policymaking effort is complicated by the organizational gap often present between the policymaker and the practitioner or user. An…

The Standards and Goals Project has undertaken cost analysis of halfway houses in order to analyze and estimate the costs of implementing correctional standards, and to provide cost guidelines and cost estimation techniques for use by jurisdictions. The first volume: (1) provides a brief background on the Corrections Standards relating to halfway…

Examines the state of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis in education, first examining the progress that has been made in these fields in the health and medical sectors. Explores one outstanding example of cost-benefit analysis and critiques four other educational evaluations. Synthesizes strengths of cost-effectiveness analysis in…

One of the missions of the Research on Evaluation Program for 1983, is to increase the capacity of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) to provide regional services in the areas of evaluation, policy analysis, and especially cost analysis. To provide this service, the program needed specific information on regional service needs…

Addressed to the Minnesota State Legislature, this report on Minnesota's Early Childhood Health and Developmental Screening Program discusses issues related to program goals and program implementation, overviews the program, and reports and summarizes statewide program results for 1985-86. Issues discussed concern responsibility for the program,…

This paper presents an overview of the major findings of a study evaluating federally-supported child day care in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The principal objective of the study was to evaluate day care quality using the proposed federal day care standards as a baseline and to develop strategies to improve these services. The study…

Several evaluations of a major national reform of secondary schools in El Salvador emphasizing the adoption of an intensive educational television system were previously undertaken. They are used here to illustrate key issues and problems in the economics of education and their implications for future research and policymaking. (BW)

Argues that federal policy has unwittingly taken money from those who earn small wages and transferred it to liberal-black advocates; the redistribution of income from the blue-collar worker to the professional educator and activist has been at the expense of the poor. (Author/JM)