After a decade as an education professor, Greg Michie decided to return to his teaching roots. He went back to the same Chicago neighborhood, the same public school, and the same grade level and subject he taught in the 1990s. But much had changed--both in schools and in the world outside them. "Same As It Never Was" chronicles Michie's…

Over the last decade, societal pressure has increased on public research agencies to provide evidence that their research contributes to achieve development goals. To address this challenge, the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (Cirad), developed an ex-post impact assessment method based on the impact pathway…

Recent attention on community organizing in national politics provides an opportunity for social work educators to revisit and enhance community practice as a core practice of the profession. Drawing from social work's rich tradition of community practice this article provides a practical aid to understand the variety of strategies currently used…

Since the abolishment of the imperial examination system (the IES) in 1905, the system has been the target of severe criticism by most Chinese people. This paper is intended to clear up the misunderstanding of the IES in seven respects based on some ideas of rehabilitation of the IES over the past 100 years. In the author's opinion, the IES is…

Argues that all evaluation research must necessarily rest on significant moral and political value judgments. Evaluation research may play a progressive role if one is prepared to employ research designs that capitalize on inevitable value judgments, rather than ignore them. (Author/AM)

An integrated data system to be used for measuring the quality of art production in the United States is proposed. (CK)

This issue of "The Evaluation Exchange" describes new developments in evaluating advocacy and policy change efforts that attempt to inform or influence public policy at the local, state, or federal levels. Heather B. Weiss introduces the themes in this issue in "From the Director's Desk," examining how evaluation of advocacy…

The experiences of Poland in educational testing are reviewed from 1918 to 1990. Trends affecting the future of educational testing in Poland are considered. Current economic and political conditions in Eastern Europe may keep educational testing in a relatively minor position as more vital national needs are addressed. (SLD)

This book contains two papers: an overview of the development and impact of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) in the United Kingdom and a discussion of that overview in the context of the wider changes occurring in U.K. education, training, and society. The first paper,…