In this commentary, we examine Braverman's insights into the trade-offs between feasibility and rigor in evaluation measures and reject his assessment of the trade-off as a zero-sum game. We, argue that feasibility and policy salience are, like reliability and validity, intrinsic to the definition of a good measure. To reduce the tension between…

Three specific points are made about helping program managers improve their use of information: (1) program managers appear to be the easiest group for evaluators to work with to improve use; (2) realistically, these managers may be the most difficult group to help; and (3) several strategies exist that evaluators use to help program people…

Evaluates the success of efforts to federally legislate knowledge utilization in Hawaii. Programs in the fields of agriculture, energy, and education are described; examples of federally supported knowledge utilization strategies in the United States are given; and areas where improvement is needed are suggested, including timeliness,…

Whether initiated by law, regulation, or administrative direction, evaluations have political purposes. Improvement, the classic purpose of evaluation, is most faithfully observed when the importance, funding, and constituency of a program are small. If something is wrong, or if the program's existence is threatened, evaluation can become a weapon…

The increased complexity of the work place and the technology for use in storing and dispensing career and labor market information led to the development of this monograph. Based on the problems and solutions identified through a current literature search and national symposium, this monograph contains (1) a framework for the establishment or…

A number of ways in which evaluations may be biased are illustrated: (1) policy and political purposes for evaluations; (2) sources of policy or political bias prior to evaluation activities; (3) limitations and biases within the evaluation itself; and (4) utilization of evaluation information in the policy process. (Author/GK)

This paper examines strategies for urban school improvement within the realm of preschool, elementary, and secondary level programs, and systemwide programs. Examples of programs in each grade level area which are operating in different parts of the country are given. The following elements are identified as common to all successful programs: (1)…

These proceedings contain reports and outlines of presentations given at a national conference that focused on organizing for dissemination collaboration in the field of vocational education. The text of a report on organizing for dissemination collaboration and the presentation outline of an address on collaboration for program improvement in the…

This special issue of "Catalyst", entitled Testing Programs in Schools: What's New?, was published jointly by the Nebraska Council of School Administrators and the Nebraska Association for Supervision and Curriculum. The articles emphasize desirability of designing testing programs to meet the information needs of educators and the…

Involving producing, analyzing, and using information, evaluation is the central discipline of the information age. Both traditional criteria for good evaluation and standards formulated in 1981 prescribe evaluations that are useful, practical, ethical, and accurate. The burning question in evaluation is the utilization of information for…

In the context of findings from the recent nationwide studies and reports on the status of education, this paper focuses on the program assessment, instructional planning, and resource allocation efforts of the Rochester (New York) School District. The first phase, the Rochester Assessment Project, began with informal meetings between the…

Research findings point up the need by vocational educators for better ways to apply labor market information in doing program planning and evaluation. This report describes a procedure that state and local education agencies can use to develop a long-range program plan for vocational education, and special emphasis is given to the many ways in…

Proceedings of a convention on dissemination held at the National Center for Research in Vocational Education in Columbus, Ohio are reviewed. The conference agenda includes brief summaries of small-group workshops and large-group sessions. Topics covered include acronyms and abbreviations in vocational education dissemination, microcomputers,…

With the prospect of less funds for vocational education, an innovative human resource development plan is needed to provide for improved and new training programs. Vocational teachers and administrators with curriculum development and management competencies will be required to develop curricula. Instructors will need to familiarize themselves…

Following a brief history of the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS) and the development of the RMC models and technical assistance centers, plans are described for activities to increase the usefulness of the evaluation data for local decision making. Three major kinds of activities are explained: projects developed by an Evaluation…