Presents, in light-hearted way, a few rules of evaluation practice wisdom that, if followed, would result in more rigorous and useful evaluations of human services programs. Although none of the ideas is totally original, it is suggested that as a group they provide handy checklist for practitioners who are developing or assessing evaluation…

Identifies five themes that illustrate different aspects of the process of diffusing democratic deliberation into more widespread use: (1) appreciation; (2) addition; (3) apprehension; (4) application; and (5) adaptation. These themes give guidance concerning evaluation practice and the role of evaluation in society. (Author/SLD)

Describes the development of program theory evaluation and the various versions of program theory evaluation currently in use. Discusses some of the differences between theory and evaluation practice. Program theory evaluation consists of an explicit theory or model of how a program causes outcomes and an evaluation that is at least partially…

Provides guidance about which links in program theory to study and which theories to use. In choosing the links to study, the first criterion is to choose the links that are most critical to the success of the program. The second criterion is the degree of uncertainty about the linkage. (SLD)

Discusses the potential that program theory evaluation has to provide knowledge about the parts of a program that should be retained and the parts that can be changed or should be abandoned. Considers why program theory evaluation may be able to give some guidance about how a program should be changed to function in a new and different…

Summarizes interesting aspects of the preceding chapters and the issues and concerns raised related to program theory evaluation. Suggests that evaluators may be fighting a losing battle in their efforts to shore up weak programs through the introduction of program theory evaluation, asserting that the development of strong program theory should…

Studied the convergence of evaluator and non-evaluator perspectives about collaborative evaluation. Results based on work of 67 pairs of evaluators and program practitioners show that, generally, program practitioners were more conservative in their opinions. Many differences in the two perspectives are noted. (SLD)

Describes the dialogue in an informal discussion group and asserts that because the group is interactive, dynamic, and applied it is an embodiment of the nature of evaluation knowledge. Discusses ways in which this group teaches about evaluation. (SLD)

This session will describe the social validity, usability and intent to use of an interactive, state-of-the-art, professional development program based on the Response to Intervention (RtI) approach and its core components (e.g., problem-solving strategy; three tiers of intervention service delivery with universal, selected and intensive…

A central commitment for professional development schools (PDSs) is to link preservice teacher preparation and in-service teacher professional development with improved learning outcomes for pupils. PDSs are expected to improve student achievement in two primary ways: (1) by enriching and intensifying the learning environment through professional…

The purpose of this paper is to outline government online training practice. We searched individual research domains of the human-dimensions of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), information and communications technologies (ICT) and instructional design for evidence of either corporate sector or government training practices. We overlapped these…

Each year, Austin Independent School District Department of Research and Evaluation (DRE) staff develop a plan of work to describe the scope of work for the coming year. The plans that make up this document identify programs to be evaluated and services to be provided by DRE staff and provide the blueprints for evaluation that staff will follow…

The author grew up in Taiwan and in 1995 enrolled in Kent State University's PhD program in sociology. Early in his doctoral career at Kent State, he took a program evaluation course offered by Irwin Deutscher. The textbook he used in the class was Peter Rossi and Walter Williams's 1972 book, "Evaluating Social Programs: Theory, Practice, and…

Conventionality and contrast provide the pragmatic basis of language use for adults. These principles play a vital role in the process of acquiring a first language as children learn how to interact using language.

This paper explores the progress of educational programme evaluation over three decades through the lens of a group of evaluators primarily from the UK and the US who met periodically from 1972 to 2004 to review the state of the art of educational programme evaluation--what it could and could not do--in relation to the complexity of programme…