Presented here are reviews of the reports from the National Institute of Education (NIE) on the Compensatory Education Study (an evaluation of compensatory education programs in the United States). Ernest House's article addresses the evaluation study directly. It covers the study's assessment of funding allocations, program administration,…

A field test evaluated "Auto Mechanics I" curriculum materials developed and published by the Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center, Oklahoma State Department of Vocational and Technical Education. The results and conclusions reported relate to student achievement and teacher evaluation and comments for each of the 23 units of…

The identification, validation, dissemination (IVD) process represents a quality control effort whose ultimate purpose is to validate and disseminate projects of proven educational quality and significance. The IVD and the Joint Dissemination Review Panel (JDRP) processes are complementary, although their procedures and criteria are distinct. JDRP…

The Teacher Corps has been directed to put a greater focus on demonstration, documentation, institutionalization, and dissemination of the results of Teacher Corps projects. This report deals with program policy alternatives for improving the dissemination of project-developed products, practices, and processes to educational agencies and…

Educational reform is becoming synonymous with accountability. However, designing an effective accountability system poses serious challenges for states as is clear from the progress and pitfalls experienced by states such as Texas, Kentucky, and California. For example, many states tend to overload their new accountability programs, resulting in…

This paper examines whether the peer-review process of the North Central Association (NCA) is reliable and valid. Reliance on peer judgments has been a part of NCA accreditation, but confidence in the use of peer decisions to certify a school's readiness to implement the improvement plan--Outcomes Accreditation (OA)--was weak. The study focused on…

Evaluates an Illinois statewide program to remove status offenders from detention. Found substantially fewer youths were referred to detention but more youths than expected were classified as detainable and subjected to court and agency processing. Suggest this may be due to organizational self-interest and the weakness of community structure.…

The Developing Models for Special Education project utilized a novel evaluation design to produce data for national validation. The results of the evaluation are presented, and the problems and benefits associated with both the theoretical model and the further use of this design are discussed. (Author/GDC)

China is the world's largest market for solar water heating systems, installing 13 million square meters of new systems in 2004, mostly in large cities. Municipal authorities, however, are sensitive to quality and visual impact issues created by this technology deployment. Therefore, there is currently a trend toward developing building integrated…

This report reports activities of the Regional Information Exchange (RIE) program under the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research's Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization Program. An overview compares the RIE program with a National Diffusion Network unit--the Joint Dissemination Review Panel, which also focuses on…

Although there are many reasons to evaluate training and development (T & D) programs, it is often time-consuming and expensive to do so. However, evaluations can be conducted by an auditing approach. The auditing approach to evaluating T & D offers three advantages. Auditing is quicker and less expensive than traditional methods, and it uses a…

This four-part book discusses the relationship between school leadership and evaluation. The discussion centers on evaluation--a crucial component of leadership in the public schools. Part 1 analyzes recent demands for evaluation as a political value and as a destabilizing force. The school district's response to evaluation and the relationship of…

The second of two related pamphlets, this guide describes how to design an outcome study and outlines procedures for collecting outcome data. After an introduction that delineates the purpose of the two-part series, the pamphlet is divided into four major sections. The first section explains how to select a cost-outcome analysis. The next three…

This study examined the appropriateness of the use of criterion referenced tests as a means of controlling an individual student's advancement to the next level of instruction or retention in the current unit in the PLATO Air Force Base Computer-Based Education project at Chanute. The study was also concerned with program evaluation, which…

This follow-up study of a special demonstration project (Oregon, 1973) evaluates the placement of children in foster care by exploring the stability and quality of placements. The project included 509 children who were under 12 years of age, unlikely to return home, and adoptable. The following questions were investigated: (1) How does the…