Illustrates the importance of adopting a formal strategy for eliminating programs. Outlines a three-step procedure for identifying candidates for elimination, evaluating these programs, and implementing the decision. The procedure provides community service agencies with guidelines for better serving the needs of their clientele. (SK)

A five-step method of instructional program evaluation is described, which helps insure educators that their graduates will continue to gain employment and that courses will continue to teach skills sought by employers. The steps are self-identification, target groups, requirements, data reduction, and program development. (CT)

Social security schemes need to be streamlined and the underlying policies made more coherent to obtain the fullest possible return on expenditure. Third World countries need to reflect very seriously on the role of social security in the development process and on the management problems involved. (CT)

Focuses on the integration of measuring outcomes specific to both after-school program improvement and the individual child as an overall plan for program improvement and evaluation. Discusses the current context for designing an evaluation-based after-school program, and provides examples of and tools for establishing and measuring desired…

Discussed are a review of related literature, a review of other programs, a survey to determine the actual learning environment of the other programs, a review of student demographics, the group decision process (a Delphi exercise), and the evaluation of the program components. (CW)

Some of the major issues related to planning evaluations of federal human services national demonstration programs are discussed. Barriers to conducting evaluations are discussed for the policy level and cross-site and within-site evaluation contexts. Among the proposed solutions is the use of an explicit programmatic developmental sequence. (SLD)

A survey of directors of 61 Texas early intervention programs found that directors felt that program improvement should be the main reason for program evaluation efforts, that evaluating program goals and child progress are the most feasible strategies, and that evaluating program quality and family progress are the most difficult strategies. (DB)

Describes the range of health or social service home visiting programs in the United States, examining the characteristics of successful programs, the outcomes produced by such programs, and the future direction of home visitation. Recommends that home visiting programs be voluntary, flexible, culturally sensitive, well-staffed, and realistic in…

Assessed home visit quality in an Early Head Start program using measures developed in collaboration with program staff. Found that parent ratings were high, indicating customer satisfaction with home visiting. Families perceived by staff as improving the most had home visitors observed as most effective at engaging parents and involving parent…

Observations in 100 congregated community and institutional day-program sites for individuals with severe disabilities indicated that approximately half of consumer time was spent in purposeful activity, 75 percent of which was age-appropriate. In 20 percent of the sites most activity was age-inappropriate. Recommended program evaluation and…

Although considerable evidence confirms that a director with good leadership and administrative skills is vital for developing and sustaining a high quality child care program, many directors assume the role with little management experience or training. This paper reports on a training program in Canada that combined a formal curriculum to…

As traditional universities grapple with an onslaught of demand for distance education a recurring call to ensure quality in such offerings arises. The Quality Matters Program intends to guarantee such quality through a peer-centered process and offers a certification process to help assure quality in online and blended courses. This report is a…