This report describes an initiative undertaken from 2016-2017 by the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution and Education International (EI) to develop tools to measure the breadth of learning opportunities to which children and youth are exposed in an education system. The Breadth of Learning Opportunities (BOLO)…

States, districts, and schools all across the United States are busy developing or implementing teacher evaluation systems. One can trace this flurry of activity to a variety of reports and initiatives that highlight two failings of past efforts: (1) Teacher evaluation systems have not accurately measured teacher quality because they've failed to…

This fall, the nine states that finished as runners up in last year's groundbreaking Race to the Top competition will have an opportunity to reapply for a grant. The winners will receive a combined $200 million to help implement the bold education reform plans they developed last year. Many of the eligible states already have clear roadmaps toward…

Novel and innovative modes of interacting with website information, which necessitate methods and tools for their evaluation have arisen. However, it is essential to develop such methods from contexts of use at a macro (i.e. cultural) and micro (individual use contexts) level. Activity theory has been used extensively in systems evaluation as it…

The assessment for learning framework in education has become big business: huge quantities of time, money and energy have been invested in England, Wales and more recently the USA. This article shows that the assessment for learning theory is inefficient and often contradictory. Black and Wiliam's earlier work provides much of the theoretical…

This document was developed by the Mid-South Regional Resource Center (MSRRC) and is designed to be used as an assessment of State systems by State Part B and Part C staff and their stakeholders. It provides a detailed process for State Education Agencies (SEA) and Lead Agencies (LA) to follow that will guide improvement efforts relative to the…

Explains how to create an organizational system that will result in good performance. Topics discussed include process versus system; two views of a system, i.e., mechanistic and organic; and components of a system, including performance guides, measurement of results, feedback, and training. (LRW)

An invitation to explore innovative practices in program and system evaluation in a medium-sized school jurisdiction of approximately 11,000 students has resulted in a model with generative characteristics. This paper will describe the process, and several of the outcomes, when a generative evaluation approach is used to assess the effectiveness…

Presents a framework for analyzing and evaluating digital reference services based on systems analysis. Focuses on existence of a public archive, content, selectivity, safeguards for privacy, access, browsability and searchability, and relationship to frequently asked questions and other site content. (Author/LRW)

Reviews three areas of knowledge needed to select an appropriate needs assessment strategy: (1) the criteria for selecting the method, (2) nine needs assessment methods, and (3) a means of categorizing methods. Provides an example of an assessment activity conducted in a small rural hospital. (LRA)

Combining psycholinguistic technologies and systems analysis created advances in motivational profiling and numerous new behavioral engineering applications. These advances leapfrog many mainstream statistical research methods, producing superior research results via cause-effect language mechanisms. Entire industries explore motives ranging from…

Written and spoken language contains inherent mechanisms driving motivation. Accessing and modifying psycholinguistic mechanisms, links language frames to changes in behavior within the context of motivational profiling. For example, holding an object like an imported apple feels safe until one is informed it was grown in a toxic waste dump.…

This study intoduces a strategy for analysing different kinds of phenomena by building "information structures" for analysing how parts make a whole in complex systems. The strategy introduced may be of use when there is a need to understand complex systems or situations; e.g., in various studies of adult education when education is seen as…

The ninth part of a 10-part series, this report was compiled by the Educational Development Center at Wilkes College. The series deals with various aspects of the treatment of delinquents and is intended as a summary of research findings in each of the areas treated. Each report was prepared by a scholar-practitioner and is presented in a way that…

Different approaches to evaluation are described: systems analysis, behavioral objectives, professional review, and case study. For an evaluation system to operate, it must be perceived as being fair; the legitimacy of evaluation is dependent on the issue of fairness. (MLW)