The academic and social integration of first-generation college students into institutions of higher education continues to be a topic of concern for university administrators, faculty, and staff. Students enter college with different background traits and experiences as well as have different college experiences that can either permit or prohibit…

The evaluation of government-financed research has become increasingly important in the last few decades in terms of increasing the quality of, and payoff from, the research that is done, reducing the cost of doing it, and lending public credibility to the manner in which research is funded. But there are very large differences throughout the…

There have been developments in interindustry economics which make it useful to reassess the potential for using input-output analysis for study of industry and occupational employment. The basic data sources available for conducting input-output analysis of employment include the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the U.S. Department of Commerce.…

By making explicit the implicit assumptions about program costs and benefits, resource allocation in a nonprofit organization could be simplified. A rational scheme for implementing such a program might begin by using detailed interviews with program administrators to determine input and output scales. Following this, respondents could choose…

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a mathematical model for measuring decision-making units' efficiency, was applied to resource allocation information in the division of occupational and technical programs at San Antonio (Texas) College. Input-output data were used to analyze existing programs' efficiency and proposed program modifications. (RW)

The author combined cost-benefit analysis with systems analysis, using the Optner model, to analyze the vocational education program in Danbury, Connecticut (a demonstration city), in 1969-70 and 1970-71. Background information on the community and the program's development are related; the analysis is presented in summary, illustrated by figures,…

This report summarizes strategies used by a monitoring commission to evaluate Project Creating a New Approach to Learning (CANAL), part of a court-mandated desegregation plan in Chicago (Illinois). The commission focused on the following areas: (1) the degree to which the project complied with activities in its funding proposal; (2) the level to…

The Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 2 Evaluation Unit provides program evaluation and evaluation technical services for designated ECIA Chapter 2 projects in the District of Columbia Public Schools. This report examines the status of inputs, processes, and outcomes, intended and observed, of the Evaluation Unit during…

Aimed at federal, State, and local educational administrators; educational researchers familiar with cost-benefit analysis and econometrics; and economists interested in problems of educational finance, this study explores the applicability of an econometric model of evaluation to the efficiency of schools. The emphasis is on assessing school…

This study uses rich empirical data from Brazil to assess how a government program (PDE) that decentralizes school management decisions changes what goes on in schools and how these changes affect student outcomes. It appears that the PDE resulted in some improvements in management and learning materials, but little change in other areas including…

With the enactment of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) of 1981, private, nonprofit schools were rendered eligible to participate on an equitable basis in federally funded school programs. During the 1982-83 school year (the first year of ECIA Chapter 2) 44 private, nonprofit schools in the District of Columbia elected to…

The second of two related pamphlets, this guide describes how to design an outcome study and outlines procedures for collecting outcome data. After an introduction that delineates the purpose of the two-part series, the pamphlet is divided into four major sections. The first section explains how to select a cost-outcome analysis. The next three…

Examines the impact of program design on the development of research-based practice models. The concept of program design is reduced to elements that can be examined for their reliability, validity, relevance, and internal consistency. (Author/RWB)

This research review analyzes output measures that assess the effectiveness of a library's reference services: reference questions, reference staff performance, reference users, combined output measures, and combined input/output measures. The need for research, a definition of reference effectiveness, and input measures are noted. Seventy-three…

This instructional module is designed to teach training managers how to calculate training costs, measure the effectiveness of training, and determine the cost effectiveness of training. It is organized in three parts. Part 1 points out why some training managers are reluctant to determine the cost effectiveness of training. It discusses the need…