The praxis orientation is proposed as an approach to school-based evaluation that enables professionals to understand power relationships and act toward empowerment of the local school community. The orientation is offered as an alternative to the positivist power-control approach, which is critiqued. (TJH)

This examination of the New American Schools Development Corporation initiative in Bensenville (Illinois) details the controversy over the reform effort and argues that factors such as school governance, local control, and school finance played major roles in determining program outcomes. The importance of political influences in reform efforts is…

Health education is subject to evolutionary waves of change. The paper describes three past waves (program development, evaluation, and maintenance) and discusses a fourth, program ownership, which has yet to become a significant force. Implications for future waves are highlighted. (SM)

Although many higher education institutions are addressing mandated student outcomes assessment as an issue of accountability, state governments appear to be more concerned about program improvement than summative evaluation. The different perspectives frame a fundamental debate over the nature and direction of the assessment movement. (Author/MSE)

Process and impact evaluations are compared, and a framework is provided to determine the nature and potential variability of the costs associated with each technical step of each type of evaluation. Recommendations to help in the choice of evaluation option are provided. (SLD)

Evaluative findings from a comprehensive internship program for beginning teachers in Alberta (Canada) are reported as a basis for assessing the value of such internships. Findings from nearly 6,000 respondents supported the usefulness of the approach and suggested recommendations for program development. (SLD)

Factors contributing to the problems of the American Indian studies program (AINS) at the University of Arizona are examined, based on a 1991-92 program review. The relationship of the AINS program to the land grant university mission is highlighted. Observations and conclusions specific to this program are then generalized to ethnic studies and…

Two studies replicated and refined a program for evaluating and improving residential treatment services during group leisure periods in living units for persons with severe developmental disabilities. Results indicated that provision of leisure materials and interaction with clients decreased maladaptive client behavior. The monitoring system…

This article draws on experience from Delaware FIRST, a model demonstration project utilizing family assessment for overall project evaluation and program planning for parents and professionals. Instrument selection processes, administration procedures, families's reactions to the process, and usefulness of family assessments in project evaluation…

An eclectic approach is presented for the evaluation of services to the homeless. The method combines social network analysis and multiattribute technology to allow for development of a criterion for evaluation of services for a geographic area. Service delivery configuration, evaluation criteria, and a planning and monitoring strategy are…

Notes that rural people with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have difficulty obtaining support. Describes development, implementation, and evaluation of model to bring support groups into homes of rural residents through six telephone group sessions. Describes goals of psychoeducational group being to increase information and social…

Offers a checklist for implementing sustainable learning communities in colleges and universities. Addresses issues including determining focus and design, use of faculty resources, coordination with current institutional initiatives, administrative support needed, resources needed, promotion and marketing, institutionalization of the concept, and…

Review states that two well-known evaluators have assembled a collection of essays on emerging issues in evaluation. These include global political perspectives, qualitative and quantitative research, the relationship between auditing and evaluation, performance assessment, international evaluation, and methodological issues. (SLD)

University students report significantly worse sleep quality than the general population. Sleep problems are related to increased health concerns, irritability, depression, fatigue, and attention and concentration difficulties, along with poor academic performance. Clinical research indicates that psychoeducational interventions are among the most…

Professional development practices implemented in rural school systems have often led nowhere. These practices seem to produce adult learning activities with few results other than participants' mounting frustration and another innovation left by the wayside. To encourage the development of productive professional development, many studies are…