Procedures for generating evaluation questions in the Discrepancy Evaluation Model (DEM) are problematic as they are described in the literature. These procedures would lead to unmanageably or ineffectively long lists of questions. Any process of narrowing down the list must be drawn from other sources. One such source, developed for a specific…

Consultants' goal is to have clients understand and accept their findings and to use them for constructive reform, yet unwelcomed findings may be dismissed, suppressed, or distorted. There are several strategies which consultants can use to communicate unwelcomed findings. The consultant can prepare the groundwork in the original negotiation of…

This article explores the relationships between kinds of evaluations, analytic methods, and interpersonal processes and the acceptance of recommendations by decision makers. Detailed typologies based on a review of the literature provide the basis for quantitatively testing concepts about the utilization of evaluations against empirical data.…

Omni House, describes how they successfully computerize their manual information system with the help of a full-service vendor. Benefits of an in-house microcomputer and the help that the right vendor can provide are discussed. Suggestions for duplicating their successful experience to other agencies are presented. (Author/ABB)

The Vocational Education Evaluation in Virginia (VEEVA) evaluation procedures were studied. Data from questionnaires completed by evaluation coordinators were organized and are presented in the article. Recommendations and implications provide insights into the improvement of evaluation systems. (DWH)

A utilization-focused approach was adopted to evaluate a program that involved establishing three experimental under-fives coordinator's poets in one of the shire counties. An illuminative model of evaluation was used, with a focus on process rather than solely on outcomes. (BW)

In a reflective commentary, the authors address the implications of the fact that, in action settings, implementation and evaluation are often carried on by the same person, and they raise the question, "Should evaluation become implementation?" (PN)

The "U.S. News & World Report" (USNWR) rankings have become the "gold standard" of the college ranking business. College and university presidents proclaim that these rankings are not a measure of the quality of their institutions and that they do not pay attention to the rankings, but, in fact, institutions are very…

This handbook presents current explanations of how each survey program of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) obtains and prepared the data it publishes. The handbook aims to provide users of NCES data with the most current information necessary to evaluate the suitability of the statistics for their needs, with a focus on the…

This paper describes the methods engaged in by an internal evaluation unit within a large school district to transition program staff from participating in a formal program evaluation to continuing the responsibility of program monitoring once an evaluation ends. Formal multiyear program evaluations can provide program managers and staff with…

This paper presents an evaluation of the National Network of Eisenhower Regional Consortia and Clearinghouse. A symposium presentation was chosen to report the consortia's contribution to the improvement of mathematics and science education. The presentation is divided into four sections, each of which was presented separately by one of the panel…

The new editors of the "Review of Educational Research" recognize their charge to be comprehensive in the process of review of educational research and to be of service to educators. They also acknowledge the challenge to be nurtured by the scholarship of the times and innovations in education. (SLD)

Advances the argument that advocacy in evaluation is inevitable when advocacy is understood as a value commitment to a particular representative ideal. The regulative ideal advanced in this article is a commitment to democratic pluralism. Three case examples illustrate these ideas. (SLD)

Evaluation reports produced in the Canadian Department of National Defense have been subject to peer assessment since 1972, but the evaluation literature contains little evidence to support the practice. Peer assessments are used to ensure that standards have been met, to correct errors, and to gain insight from reviewers. (Author/SLD)

Provides a historical accounting of the work of early African American educational evaluators to show the critical place of race and culture in both historical and contemporary visions of responsive evaluation. Discusses reasons their work has so largely been ignored. (SLD)