Purpose: Much of the existing literature note how students' academic difficulties result from their background and lack of cultural capital. This paper aims to focus on internal structural inequality where people with particular backgrounds are disadvantaged within an institution. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use a case study approach…

In May 2008 nearly 90,000 people died in the most powerful earthquake in modern Chinese history. Many were students killed in substandard schools, creating a sensitive disaster zone inside a nation whose civil society organizations are beginning to flourish. This paper examines the education earthquake relief program of an international NGO, and…

Evaluating the performance of nonprofit organizations has been of growing importance for the last several decades. Although there is much good that can come out of self-improvement, there is substantial heterogeneity within the sector that calls into question the usefulness of "across the board" evaluation tools. In this article, the authors…

Purpose: Agricultural advisory services are perceived by many actors involved in rural development as a key driver behind innovation processes in agriculture. However, changes in national and global contexts cause dramatic changes in the orientation of advisory services, their organisation and their methods of intervention. This article aims to…

The purpose of the state education agency (SEA) is to focus the entire education system on helping students become capable in college and career in an increasingly complex world. One of the most vexing problems facing SEAs today is how to meet increasing demands for performance while adjusting to significant resource reductions. Meeting that…

In this article, we explore the evaluation capacity of today's nonprofit organizations. We report the findings of a cluster analysis that suggest that when it comes to evaluation, there are three types of nonprofit organizations. The first type of nonprofit organization is one that, by most accounts, is satisfied with their evaluation efforts.…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is committed to bringing together museums and libraries across the country for conversations dedicated to developing a better understanding of the roles of libraries and museums as providers of public service to communities. The Future of Libraries and Museums in the 21st Century Planning…

Presents findings of a process evaluation of the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility. Measures from the evaluation suggest that the presence of a therapeutic community within a prison is associated with significant advantages for management of the institution-including lower rates of infractions, reduced absenteeism among correctional…

Evaluation of state advanced technology programs has begun in response to budget reviews. Issues include: (1) political and institutional contexts of evaluation; (2) technical issues concerning outcome specifications, use of process indicators, and dependence on self-reported assessments; and (3) use of evaluation in policy making. (TJH)

A questionnaire survey intended to clarify the status of educational arrangements in Illinois institutions serving disturbed, delinquent or predelinquent, or dependent/neglected children. Information on patterns of service, potential needs for specially trained teachers and related professional personnel were related areas of interest. (CS)

Though program evaluation has been an important focus of higher education for the last 20 years, traditional evaluation models have been ineffective for on-going programs, particularly those where the outcomes are multifaceted or undefined. Over the last five years, several alternative viewpoints on program evaluation have been suggested which…

Six essays are presented that discuss the definition, methodologies, and contexts of program environment evaluation. Specific topics covered include the use of profiles and models, social-psychological classroom environments, program/organization congruence, program personnel, and measuring implementation of social treatment. (TJH)

As the second volume in a three part study evaluating vocational training provided in occupational institutions, this document is concerned with the administrative and legislative development of vocational training in correctional institutions, and with the characteristics of the 25 projects covered by this study. The basic aspects considered for…

This paper highlights what the authors believe are the important issues and directions of change in the evaluation of mental health programs. The rationale for such evaluation is twofold. First, it provides a scientifically rigorous method of determining the therapeutic efficacy of the treatment or program, and secondly, these results can exercise…