In this Exemplars case, the fifth and final under the direction of the current coeditors, the authors present a reflective account of an ongoing, complex, multiyear, multinational monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system conducted for African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), an international development program. The…

In 1997, American Evaluation Association member George Grob, now retired from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and currently President of the Center for Public Program Evaluation, made a testimony on Medicare home health care fraud and abuse before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. The occasion was to announce the…

This is the first examination of exemplary evaluation under a new editorial approach, in which the authors are attempting not only to report how the evaluation was conducted and to explain the rationale for design and implementation but also to examine the conditions, events, or actions that might have contributed to its exemplary status. This…

This article is third in a series of exemplary cases under the two current section editors. The first two cases (Brandon, Smith, Trenholm, & Devaney, 2010; Smith, Brandon, Lawton, & Krohn-Ching, 2010) profiled evaluations that had been designated as exemplary by professional associations. The present case profiles an evaluation organization:…

An exploratory investigation was conducted of a college of education's major costs in providing the "education major" alternative to obtaining teacher certification. Basic procedures consisted of identifying appropriate cost categories and gathering the required cost information. Major effects data from previous studies were reviewed and…

Productive dialogue is informed best by multiple and diverse voices. Five seasoned evaluators, representing a range of evaluation perspectives, offer their views in two- to three-page discussant contributions. These individuals were asked to reflect and comment on the previous chapters in the spirit of critical review as a key source of evidence…

The basic functions and procedures of management consulting are contrasted with formal program evaluation. A case example illustrates the differing approaches used in programmatic problem solving. The similarities and differences between these specializations are highlighted to understand their unique but complementary contributions to the…

This report describes the results of a cost-effectiveness comparison of the alternative programs (education and non-education majors) available at Texas A&M University for students seeking certification as secondary education teachers. The two alternative programs leading to secondary teacher certification, the major costs associated with the…

Two alternative programs for students seeking secondary school teacher certification were compared for cost effectiveness. The most pronounced difference between individuals majoring in education and non-majors seeking teacher certification while completing degree requirements in their chosen field is the number of required semester hours of…

As with many forms of evaluation, empowerment evaluation can be viewed as an ideology that promotes a particular set of social and professional values. Judging the quality and utility of empowerment evaluation thus requires a critical appraisal of the implications of adopting those values.

The principles of method development and assessment that have resulted from a long-range project at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory to create new methods for program evaluation are summarized. (Author/AL)

Weiss' and Patton's competing views concerning the influence of program evaluation on decision-making are critiqued. Patton's approach provides an essential mechanism for achieving desired ends, once they are determined. Weiss' approach supplements that contribution by including not only expert development of means, but also expert selection of…

Heads of evaluation units in 21 state education agencies responded to a structured telephone interview about their unit's workload, evaluation methods, and associated problems and needs. Time committed to evaluation ranged from 10% to 100% and did not relate to staff size which ranged from 1-72. Eleven states contracted some of their evaluations.…

Data from two studies of evaluation budgeting practices are presented to determine how resources are typically allocated across budget categories in evaluation studies. A common pattern showed these allocations: (1) 61 percent to personnel; (2) 13 to 14 percent to overhead; and (3) 15 percent to all other categories. (Author/LMO)

Reviews a collection of 10 case descriptions of ethical problems in evaluation and 10 commentaries on them that appeared in the "American Journal of Evaluation" from 1998 to 2001. Explores the meaning of "ethical problems" and the relationship of ethics to best practices. (SLD)