This is a checklist of key items to get right when conducting a randomized controlled trial to evaluate an educational program or practice ("intervention"). It is intended as a practical resource for researchers and sponsors of research, describing items that are often critical to the success of a randomized controlled trial. A significant…

The Illinois Three Phase System for Statewide Evaluation of Occupational Education Programs will be operationally dependent on the Management Information System (MIS). The efficiency of the evaluation system will be greatly enhanced by the availability in the MIS. (Author/KP)

Implications of this study for CAI to improve productivity and effectiveness are discussed. (MB)

Six areas of staff development program evaluation in which participants may be meaningfully involved are: (1) clarification of the program's goals; (2) development of a design for the evaluation study; (3) development of methods for measurement; (4) analysis of information; (5) response to evaluation instruments; and (6) reporting on an evaluation…

A model is described which illustrates two general uses of multiple analyses to evaluate quasi-experiments: obtaining estimates of the treatment effect, and checking the validity of the experiment. (MH)

This article presents the criteria developed by the American Institutes for Research to select evaluated exemplary career education projects across the nation for submission to the Joint Dissemination and Review Panel (JDRP) of the Office of Education (USOE) and the National Institute of Education (NIE). (Author)

Articles in this special issue suggest improvements in longitudinal program evaluation to meet the challenges of evaluation of human services programs. Contributions describe innovations in design, methods, data analysis, utilization, and interpretation of the findings of longitudinal studies. (SLD)

Problems and difficulties encountered in designing evaluation studies of educational projects in public education are reviewed, noting evaluation issues related to data collection, data analysis, and reporting. It is suggested that evaluation reports include qualitative and quantitative information and focus on descriptive methods of analyzing and…

Examined the utility of general growth mixture modeling (GGMM) for evaluating early childhood education programs. Initially, growth mixture modeling procedures identified two growth patterns among Head Start children. However, GGMM procedures found that children with at least 2 years program participation did not have faster achievement growth…

The article demonstrates how information managers at institutions of higher education can develop a checklist for evaluating the usability and effectiveness of institutional data and information. Three primary personnel roles (technicians, analysts, users) and five primary activities (selection, capture and storage, manipulation and analysis,…

Suggests a possible agenda for data collection for the Data on Vocational Education (DOVE) system over the next 5 to 10 years, examining two major categories of information: program outcomes, including student achievement and participation in further education and the labor force; and program characteristics, including attributes of programs and…

Describes the application of multilevel statistical models to the evaluation of a multi-site community-based intervention and explicates key issues in the design,analysis, and presentation of results. The initiative described, "Fighting Back, is designed to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and alcohol in a community. (SLD)

Although focus groups continue to gain popularity in marketing and social science research, their use in program evaluation has been limited. Here we demonstrate how focus groups can benefit evaluators, program staff, policy makers and administrators by providing an in-depth understanding of program effectiveness from the perspective of…

Despite the intersectoral nature of health promotion practice many programs limit their evidence base to health sector research and do not draw on evidence from other sectors' research in program design. To help ensure programs are relevant and acceptable to intersectoral partners and intended outcomes are of value to all sectors involved,…