This paper outlines purposes of program evaluation and provides practical information to help individuals from a wide spectrum of backgrounds use evaluation to move their program ahead in a purposeful manner. Wisely moving ahead requires an assessment of an organization's past and present as well as an examination of its assumptions about the…

The first state-funded program of its kind, the Georgia Pre-K program has grown exponentially since its inception in 1993. The program operates in a variety of settings and is run by different types of organizations, including public and private schools, community centers, colleges and universities, and private child care centers. This report…

This course is designed for educators, natural resource professionals, and others who will be working with students, teachers, school systems, youth groups and their leaders, community groups, and others to plan, design, and conduct wildlife habitat enhancement projects, primarily on school grounds. It provides an introduction to planning,…

As part of a districtwide follow-up study, California's Sacramento City College (SCC) surveyed 2,075 former students from 1993-94 to gather information on student outcomes and characteristics. This report presents findings for the college by academic program. First, a brief discussion of survey methodology is provided, indicating that surveys were…

During the first and second years of the national evaluation of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSI) program, a sample of 11 case study states was drawn from the universe of awards the National Science Foundation made to 25 states and Puerto Rico. This document reports on three case studies for Connecticut, Delaware, and Montana. The cases…

During 1973-75, the Rand Corporation conducted a study of federally funded change agent programs to determine the factors for successful change in the schools at the local, state, and federal levels. The programs included the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title III, Innovation Projects; ESEA Title VII, Bilingual Projects;…

A survey was completed in 1994 by 395 students attending the Center for Arts and Sciences (CAS), an enrichment program in Saginaw, Michigan, for gifted and talented students in grades 6 through 12. Highlights of the findings included the following: (1) most students attended CAS because of their own special interests and career plans; (2) most…

The purpose of the Year-Round Education (YRE) Evaluation Project is to provide formative evaluation information to Orange County (Florida) Public Schools decision-makers about the year-round education schedule piloted in three elementary schools. Employing YRE means reorganizing the traditional school calendar into shorter instructional sessions…

This report evaluates the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, emphasizing the role and responsibilities of the Commission as specified in Alabama law. The Evaluation Committee sought perspective on the Commission's performance from a wide variety of educational, political, and civic leadership via a questionnaire, interviews, hearings, and…

Evaluators frequently experience the dilemma of how to empower a program staff if the staff and other stakeholders are compelled to participate in activities that they don't believe they need or believe may actually harm the program. A framework is proposed to empower program staff and other stakeholders and to reduce potential dilemmas. The…

This booklet describes a method that any school can use to test the effectiveness of their current spelling program or to compare various spelling programs being used within their system. After a brief discussion of the cost of the program, the booklet describes the paired word approach to evaluating spelling programs, in which one set of words is…

The efforts of states to differentiate regulatory treatment among districts and schools are examined in this paper. Data were derived from case studies of four state programs: Kentucky's Educational Deficiency Program of receivership for troubled districts; New Jersey's Plan to Intervene in Deficient School Districts; South Carolina's Flexibility…

This report presents the results of a study of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs operated by Indian tribes and Alaska Native organizations. Congress established the JOBS program to give recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) the education, training, work experience, and supportive services they…

Thirteen participants from 11 countries, including experts in public health, health education, social sciences, epidemiology, planning, policy-making, and program management, took part in a consultation on the monitoring and evaluation of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) education and health promotion programs in Copenhagen. A…

This paper offers a theoretical model for designing, managing, and evaluating collaboration efforts. The parallel-pairs model is composed of a horizontal axis that specifies the scope and significance of activities. An advantage of the model is its ability to evaluate activities individually or as a group. Two examples of how the model was used in…