Hypothesis generation and testing is outlined as an additional domain for program evaluators. Program evaluation involves a thorough analysis of the processes that contribute to change (or a lack of change) among program recipients. This process of change is analyzed in two ways: (1) treating programs as naturally occurring field studies; and (2)…

Data from 86 Early Childhood Education (ECE) projects in Oregon were analyzed using methods prescribed by the Value Added model for ECE evaluation. The extent to which appropriate model implementation procedures were followed is unknown. Thus, the results represent an empirical account of the model's estimates of project impact, rather than a…

When different individuals operating in different contexts implement similar innovations, they approach the various parts of the innovation in different ways. When assessed according to the research procedures used to study innovation implementation at the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin,…

The nature of controversial programs is discussed, including problems that such programs pose for evaluators and suggested solutions for the problems. Controversial programs are likely to generate news-media attention, internal conflicts (i.e., involving the program and evaluation staffs) and external conflicts (i.e., involving various advocacy…

Educational outcomes are affected by student level, classroom level, and school level characteristics. The fact that educational data are multilevel in nature poses serious analysis questions. Though strong arguments can be made for focusing on a single level of analysis, such studies have several basic limitations: the choice of analytic level…

This report discusses considerations involved in placing the evaluation process for criminal justice agencies within an organizational and practical context. The discussion proceeds from the following perspectives: (1) program evaluation is a policy/management tool; (2) various levels of policy and management personnel have numerous and varied…

This document is designed to provide an understanding of the major longitudinal issues and problems, a rationale for longitudinal studies, and the advantages and disadvantages of using longitudinal studies for evaluation and accountability purposes when applied to vocational education. Following an introductory chapter, chapter 2 presents a…

This review of the research on the evaluation of career education provides a review and synthesis of five major publications prepared for and/or published for the United States Office of Education and considers a number of problems and promises facing evaluators of career education in the eighties. Reviewed are reports prepared by Tuckman and…

IN NOVEMBER 1966 A CONFERENCE WAS HELD TO (1) EXCHANGE INFORMATION ABOUT ONGOING AND PLANNED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN IOWA, MINNESOTA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, AND WISCONSIN, (2) EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COORDINATING ACTIVITIES, (3) DEVELOP A PRIORITY LIST OF CURRENT SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS IN THE REGION, (4) SELECT A HIGH-PRIORITY…

The purpose of this paper is to: (1) discuss the reasons for applying the experimental method to program evaluation; (2) review the basic elements of the experimental method; (3) illustrate refinements and variants of the experimental method with examples from program evaluation in the social sciences; (4) describe ways in which funding directives…

Using the evaluation of day care programs at the state level as a basis, this document focuses on the methodology, logistics, politics, and benefits of state-wide efforts, particularly as these efforts relate to the impact of day care services on the children served. Since every evaluation effort must be individually tailored, and each state's day…

This monograph summarizes the results of two mini-conference discussions on the general topic, evaluation of career education. It addresses three major points: (1) Problems involved in evaluation of career education, i.e., instrumentation, expectation, concept implementation, and perceived personal benefit, (2) examples of evaluation approaches…

When participants with varied background and interests join in a collaborative activity, their different viewpoints may make the evaluation of the activity more difficult. Experience evaluating a multidisciplinary biomedical research center illustrates the influence of values on program evaluation. (Author/GDC)

Abt Associates, the firm responsible for the primary analysis of the Follow Through experiment, summarize the findings. Their clearest finding indicates that local circumstances, attitudes, and activities unmeasured by evaluation have much more to do with the effectiveness of Follow Through models, without exception, than do their theoretical…

Interpretations point up the fact that research-oriented evaluation, aiming at estimation of program effects on specific test outcome measures, is capable of illuminating only part of the value of a complex social program like Follow Through. (Author/MLF)