The third year of an ongoing research project to document and evaluate an innovative Japanese language program in grades K-5 (n=195) is reported. Two strands of research are examined. The first deals with school and community ambiance, and attempts to capture in a systematic way the attitudes and perceptions of parents, teachers, and students in…

Education in contemporary society is no longer the selective enterprise for which a product evaluation approach is appropriate. Process evaluation, however, complements a new view of education--education offers all students opportunities for individual growth. A process approach focuses on what is understood. Focusing on learning activity and…

This paper describes the first venture of the author (a professor at Kentucky's Morehead State University) into the world of distance learning technology, specifically interactive television. Highlights include the one-way video classroom; multimedia development; compressed video classroom; and use of listservs. An informal evaluation of the…

This paper summarizes a study undertaken to evaluate the impact of middle-level schooling upon student achievement and to provide information useful to the improvement of early adolescent education. The study drew on the following two theoretical perspectives: (1) middle level theory, which advocates organizing students and teachers and modifying…

Each of the four issues of this newsletter published in 1993 consists of one article dealing with a particular policy debate. Number 1, "Canadian Special Education Policies: Children with Learning Disabilities in a Bilingual and Multicultural Society" (Linda S. Siegel and Judith Wiener), discusses social and cultural factors affecting…

This manual provides training information for implementing supported employment by using a customer-driven approach. Chapter 1, "Supported Employment: A Customer-Driven Approach" (Valerie Brooke and others), describes current best practices, a new customer-driven approach to supported employment, and the role of the employment specialist. Chapter…

Summaries are presented of papers from a symposium entitled "The Evaluation of Complex Programs Using Participatory Evaluation" that focused on a comprehensive school service program in a south Texas alternative high school. "Theoretical Framework and Objectives" explores the problems of evaluating such programs. Problems…

Title I, the largest federal aid program for elementary, middle, and high schools, is introduced in this publication, which includes both English and Spanish versions. Through Title I, the Federal government gives money to school districts around the country based on the number of low-income families in each district. Each district uses Title I…

Program evaluation can be understood as the process of looking at how all aspects of a program or department have been functioning as the basis for informed planning and decision making. Although the objective dimensions used in evaluations can vary, methodologies can be categorized according to the four category framework (i.e., describing…

This book reviews the findings of 29 studies published between 1960 and 1992 on the impact of childhood out-of-home care on adults' self-sufficiency, adjustment, family and social support, and personal well-being. Section 1, "Out-of-Home Care and Out-of-Home Care Studies," introduces the study and presents the history of out-of-home care…

This anthology presents ideas expressed at the International Society for Education Through Art (INSEA), 1990 Conference. The Conference brought together educators from United States, Canada, England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia to examine the current state of assessment and evaluation in the visual arts, and to identify desirable…

The DATAWave is a bi-weekly publication that is designed to inform the campus community and broader constituencies on assessment issues and practices at Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU). The first issue of this fourth volume covers survey results about the effectiveness of the ENMU Assessment Resource Office (ARO) and presents a fall preview…

It is argued that judgments in evaluative research are ultimately subjective, but that good criteria are available to assess their quality. One of these criteria is the robustness of the judgments against incompleteness or uncertainty in the data used to describe the educational system. The use of the robustness criterion is demonstrated through…

Traditionally, outcomes measured by postsecondary vocational education assessment have included labor force participation rates, type of employment, earnings, and employer satisfaction with employees. Today, however, legislators and policymakers are moving more and more toward accountability measures tied to students' educational outcomes, such as…

This study was designed to provide the Palm Beach County School District with an independent evaluation of the educational program for kindergarten through grade three. Chapter 1 discusses the study design and methodology. Chapter 2 reviews current literature on such topics as nonpromotion and delayed entry; screening, assessment, and placement…