Evaluation management requires a system for measuring, improving, and accounting for quality. The Institute for Program Evaluation in the United States General Accounting Office is developing such a system. (Author)

This article considers the advantages and disadvantages of having evaluation users increase the specificity of evaluation requirements through a review of legislative requirements behind several congressionally mandated national-level evaluations, and an in-depth examination of one congressionally mandated evaluation in which very specific design…

The promise of the stakeholder approach to evaluation lies in its potential to counter criticism that evaluation is too narrow, unrealistic in its standards for success, unfair to program staff and participants, and irrelevant to decision makers. (Author)

Critiquing the stakeholder idea, the author states: if government chooses to take account of competing views in social program evaluation, it can get a better result if it encourages the competing views to find a voice of their own, not to speak through the government's chosen instrument. (Author/PN)

Articles in this special issue suggest improvements in longitudinal program evaluation to meet the challenges of evaluation of human services programs. Contributions describe innovations in design, methods, data analysis, utilization, and interpretation of the findings of longitudinal studies. (SLD)

Discusses applications of the Problem Solving Inventory for counseling and managed health care, career and industrial/organizational issues, training, and academic performance. Examines the role of problem solving in psychological health and describes the inventory, how to administer it, and previous research findings. (RJM)

The pay-for-performance plan recently implemented in Douglas County (Colorado) bases teacher salaries on performance rather than longevity, considers extra duties, and offers incentives to high-performing school teams. The school district hopes to strengthen the professional development possibilities of this plan, including teachers' uses of…

Describes the concept of school readiness and considers the purpose, content, and process of assessing children's school readiness. Notes that early childhood assessment is undertaken for numerous purposes but that these purposes are not always clear. Delineates different purposes for collecting data and discusses critical principles that could…

Raises concerns about the procedures used and conclusions drawn in C. Bolon's article on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System 10th grade mathematics tests. Bolon's conclusions do not follow from his data, as described. (SLD)

Use-oriented approaches to evaluation have been challenged by contentions that the responsiveness of such evaluations undermines their technical quality. This discussion analyzes purported conflicts between these evaluation criteria of utility and accuracy by examining underlying assumptions related to evaluation's purpose and politics. (TJH)

Compares the responses of administrators, teachers, parents, and students to a questionnaire about purposes, communication qualities, effects, and philosophy of student evaluations. Suggests evaluations can serve as positive educational motivators that reward student efforts and enhance student learning, while avoiding critical, negative,…

Advantages of internal evaluation are illustrated through an in-house study of the familiarity of clinicians at a social service agency with the Tarasoff decision about responsibility concerning potentially dangerous clients. Advantages include multiple alliances among staff and researchers, increased cooperation, and an improved likelihood of the…

Language syllabus or curriculum designing is examined studying the five basic syllabus types, the decision-making process in design development, and curriculum implementation within the educational system. A contingency syllabus design model is suggested as a suitable answer in harmonizing the many interactive components and adapting to changing…

The political context of evaluation is described, with positive and negative influences. Strategies are proposed for preserving the credibility of evaluation in political contexts. Researchers must maintain the neutral posture of the basic scientist. (SLD)

Examines the frequency and types of evaluation research methods used in communication training programs. Finds that human resource (HR) trainers rarely conduct needs analyses while planning communication training programs, and that systematic and controlled evaluation research is not being undertaken to plan, implement, and assess communication…