From a utilization-focused evaluation perspective, the success of an evaluation is rooted in the extent to which the evaluation was used by stakeholders. This paper details the "Expectations to Change" (E2C) process, an interactive, workshop-based method designed to engage primary users with their evaluation findings as a means of…

Despite a political climate demanding evidence-informed decision making in education both within individual countries and at the international level, empirically grounded European research in this field is scarce. This paper reports on a European Commission-funded study that sought to identify and analyze different initiatives across Europe aimed…

In 2006, six community and technical colleges in Washington State joined the innovative national reform initiative called Achieving the Dream (ATD). This report describes the progress each college made in implementing ATD's "culture of evidence" principles for institutional improvement, examines strategies implemented by the colleges to…

It is hard to overestimate the significance of the master planning process. The process is one of the most salient strategies that the Maryland State Department of Education utilizes for improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap. Until recently, many local school systems (LSSs) treated planning as a local endeavor that merely…

Two reviews consider the program-evaluation standards of the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluations. This edition makes the complexity, risks, and power of evaluation clear through descriptive writing and case illustrations. The organization and content of the standards document are described. (SLD)

The efforts of the Austin (Texas) Public School District to improve the readability and usefulness of technical reports are reviewed. Coincident with, or consequent to, a 1977 letter by W. E. Jones to the editor of an Austin paper (the "Austin American Statesman") complaining about excessively lengthy (500-page) evaluation reports, the…

This document outlines the Western Assessment Collaborative's (WAC) approach to evaluation and the design for examining the progress and impact of Kyosei (spirit of cooperation), a multiyear partnership with 10 schools and 4 districts that engages participants in a set of integrated, research-based professional development strategies. The text…

The experience of the research and evaluation department in the Dallas (Texas) Independent School District in pioneering the use of a policy-oriented report to communicate evaluation findings is described. The report--the chart essay--replaced a methods-oriented report. In restructuring the methods-oriented report into a policy-oriented report,…

This document is comprised of the single 2000 issue of a newsletter of the Harvard Family Research Project, designed to share new ideas and experiences in evaluating systems reform and comprehensive child and family services. The issue focuses on after-school programs and includes the following articles: (1) "Building the After School…

This monograph is composed of papers from the first National Conference on School Recognition Programs. School recognition programs vary considerably, but they do acknowledge schools that perform well (winners) and have recognizable public relations value. Consequently, school recognition programs have substantial potential for educational…

This paper describes an ongoing comprehensive model of program evaluation which has as its major goal the improvement of teacher education. This project, developed at the University of Lethbridge (Alberta, Canada), is presented in four parts: (1) the process--how and why the project developed or is developing as it is; (2) the conceptual…

Based on data available through June 30, 1978, this report covers all programs administered by the Office of Education (OE). Introductory sections describe OE's evaluation strategies (involving impact and process studies, technical assistance, and identification of effective programs); present highlights from OE evaluation studies in fiscal year…

This report presents the detailed results of the compilation of an overview of state activities related to measuring the outcomes of postsecondary vocational education. Chapter I provides background to the study. Chapter II describes the methodology used for the development of the overview, including discussions with experts, the information…

The Delaware Educational Assessment Program publishes annual results from the California Test of Basic Skills by district, school, and grade (1 through 8 and 11). A statewide computer information system was developed to manage the testing program, the massive 10-year longitudinal database, and the information requests received. The Delaware…