International service-learning combines aspects of conventional study abroad with aspects of conventional service-learning, offering an exceptional degree of integration into a target culture and an intensive experience of community service. The present study describes an effort to establish, through qualitative assessment, the degree to which…

By asking assessment questions that have direct policy implications, a committee of Harvard advisors, faculty members, and administrators was able to implement specific and concrete on-campus advising initiatives. Only modest amounts of data were collected to effect meaningful changes in student behavior, course design, and assignments. Interviews…

Practicing physicians generally are not engaged in either the methods of performance improvement for health care or the measurement and reporting of clinical outcomes. The principal reasons are lack of compensation for such work, the perception that the work of performance improvement adds no value and is a waste of time, the lack of knowledge and…

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…

Each year, the Community College Survey of Student Engagement ("CCSSE") presents the results of its annual survey. These results give community colleges objective and relevant data about students' experiences at their colleges so they can better understand how effectively they are engaging their students and identify areas for improvement. This…

This article introduces the issue of articles on research assessments and rankings. It focuses on the British Research Assessment Exercises (RAEs) and New Zealand's Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF). It contrasts these with systems that are not tied to funding formulas and emphasise quality enhancement rather than quality assurance. It…

Until the recent introduction of a dynamic interview-based process, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a Canadian development research funding agency, faced a challenge: project completion reports (PCRs) were not being completed in a timely and quality manner. This is a common problem many organizations face in completing…

In order to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, states must collect valid data as needed to report annually to the Secretary of Education. This requirement, combined with those set forth in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, has led states to collect and analyze data about their programs, districts,…

This article presents a perspective on the relationship between adult education and human resource development of the past two decades and the subsequent emergence of workforce development. The lesson taken from the article should be more than simply a recounting of events related to these fields of study. Instead, the more general lesson may be…

This chapter describes how an action research framework facilitates using evaluation and assessment results to improve programs and demonstrate institutional effectiveness. (Contains 1 table.)

Despite reporting greater needs for career planning information, African American students are often less likely to use the services available to them. Understanding the factors influencing the career development of African American students is therefore critical if these students are to succeed both academically and in the world of work. This…

A variety of handheld applications and curricular materials have been developed to support inquiry science learning in recent years, but there are few handheld-supported assessment activities available to teachers. In Project WHIRL, researchers from SRI International worked in partnership with teachers from Beaufort County School District (SC) to…

This book presents for discussion principles and issues that encourage early childhood educators to evaluate their current approaches to programming and planning for young chidren with emphasis on the individual child. The book offers the opportunity to affirm the practice of developmentally appropriate procedures and to suggest directions for…

Census data from 1990 reveal that Latinos (n=133,009) comprised 47% of California's Compton Community College District, a higher percentage than Blacks (n=91,574) who made up 32% and Whites, Asians, and others (n=60,417) who comprised 21%. This is reflected in Compton Community College's (CCC's) student population. Between fall 1994 and spring…

This book presents the results of an extended study of service integration efforts in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, and Oregon, highlighting the nature of existing service integration and the potential of systemic reform efforts. The first part of the book examines the range and complexity of current service integration efforts, offers a definition…