Educational discourse is becoming increasingly globalized. This trend is particularly pronounced in the area of assessment, where notions of accountability, comparability, and competition have become prevalent in many countries. Scholars have critiqued this trend. They contend that global assessment discourse provides educators with…

Describes a state agency's approach to developing and improving the self-assessment and accountability of local programs overseen and funded by a large statewide program. This self-assessment approach to evaluating local tobacco control programs in California is "empowerment evaluation" in action. (SLD)

Describes the evaluation of the Fighting Back initiative, in which communities across the country receive funding to combat alcohol and drug use. The evaluation has been designed to be responsive to national policy agendas and local community contextual differences so that it yields important insights at both levels. (Author/SLD)

Describes a strategy for selecting a delivery method for electronic resources based on experiences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Considers local conditions, pricing, feature options, hardware costs, and network availability and presents a model for evaluating the decision based on dollar requirements and local issues. (Author/LRW)

This report on Phase III, of a four-phase study, provides an analysis of the impact of California Technology Assistance Programs. The first section of this report provides the background of the California Educational Technology Assessment Project (CETAP), an overview of programs studied, and a summary of the evaluation plan. Sections two and three…