Introduces the 21 papers in this special issue on the future of evaluation. These articles suggest a field that is more eclectic in methods, approaches, and practitioners than was the field described in a similar issue in 1994. (SLD)

Evaluation of the International Faculty Development Seminars (IFDS) was conducted through a review of files of the Council on International Educational Exchange. Since 1990, the IFDS has run 93 programs in 25 countries, enrolling 1,560 people from 613 colleges and universities. Most participants returned to their institutions to create new…

Describes didactic material linking assessment, case conceptualization, and analysis of intervention effects. Analyses were conducted with data provided by 131 students who completed a counseling process course where this material was taught. Results indicate that students increased their self-efficacy for conceptualization and assessment tasks…

Presents a case study of the development and implementation of the "results framework," an innovative planning and evaluation tool that is becoming a standard for U.S. Agency for International Development projects. Explains the advantages of this evaluation and monitoring approach. (SLD)

The Listening Post is an informal, structured technique whereby extension program participants collect feedback from other participants. Benefits include high-quality feedback, high participation, and a sense of ownership. It could, however, exclude persons reluctant to talk, and respondents tend to comment on what is most salient to them. (SK)

Describes the use of multilevel models (MLMs) for studies in which individuals are randomized by groups to treatment condition. Uses data from the Safer Choices study, an evaluation of a theory-based multi-component program to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, to illustrate the application of MLMs for both continuous and…

The Citizens Changing Communities program trained advisory boards in time and meeting management, conflict management, problem solving, goal setting, action planning, and decision making. Although evaluations revealed high interest in program content and delivery methods, actual participation did not match responses. A holistic approach focused on…

Describes and critiques medical school rankings by "U.S. News & World Report" on methodologic and conceptual grounds, arguing that the annual evaluation falls short in both areas. Presents three alternative categories of program quality indicators. Concludes that the rankings have no practical value and fail to meet standards of…

Discusses the development of evaluation's collective capacity and offers an analysis of ways members of the evaluation community can work to build collective strength. These include better efforts to educate evaluation clients. (SLD)

Provides an overview of evaluation checklists and describes 10 checklists for program, personnel, and product evaluations that were developed to be available to evaluators through the World Wide Web. (SLD)

Describes the Mississippi family and consumer sciences curriculum that is aligned with the national standards and linked to technology-based classrooms. Discusses preliminary evaluation in 36 schools, indicating some anecdotal evidence of positive impacts. (SK)

The seven chapters of this volume demonstrate that evaluation evidence can overturn widely held beliefs and result in changes in programs and policies. These chapters show that policymakers can welcome findings that challenge long-established ideas and use them to Improve programs and services. (SLD)

This article describes how job analysis, a method commonly used in personnel research and organizational psychology, provides a systematic method for documenting program staffing and service delivery that can improve evaluators' knowledge about program operations. Job analysis data can be used to increase evaluators' insight into how staffs…

The past few years have seen efforts in several countries and a wide range of disciplines to adopt and apply existing professional standards for guiding and judging evaluation services and/or develop new standards. Some of the efforts have drawn from the work and products of the North American Joint Committee on Standards for Educational…

In the UK, following the Crime and Disorder Act of 1998, the Youth Justice Board (YJB) funded over 450 separate crime prevention schemes. The YJB in approving these various schemes stressed the importance of monitoring and evaluation. Local evaluators were appointed whose role was to report back to the funding agency and the national evaluators.…