An overview of four models of naturalistic evaluation of arts education is presented for visual arts education administrators: illuminative, responsive, criticism, and naturalistic. The first method is illuminative evaluation. It focuses on description and interpretation, rather than standardized measurement and control. Concentrating on the…

Studies were conducted by the American Institute for Research (AIR) under contract with the Department of Education (ED). An evaluability assessment determines the extent to which a program is ready for evaluation, the changes needed to make the program more manageable and accountable, and toward what questions a more extensive evaluation might…

What is the nature and function of case law in our legal system? How are legal case histories used to establish precedent and to assist in the application of legal principles to specific cases? These and other questions are addressed in this examination of the potential of using a basic case structure in educational evaluation similar to that used…

PROJECT AND PROGRAM EVALUATION REPRESENT TWO BROAD STRATEGIES FOR EVALUATION. PRODUCT EVALUATION OF A PROJECT DETERMINES THE EXTENT TO WHICH OBJECTIVES ARE ACHIEVED. THE EVALUATOR'S ATTENTION IS FOCUSED ON CHANGE IN THE TARGET PUPIL OR SCHOOL ON A PRE-PROJECT TO A POST-PROJECT BASIS. IN THEIR EVALUATION OF THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION…

THE RECENT PROLIFERATION OF FEDERAL SUPPORT PROGRAMS IN EDUCATION HAS BROUGHT AN INCREASED DEMAND FOR CAREFULLY PLANNED, FORMAL EVALUATION AT BOTH THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS. IN ORDER TO AID LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN THE COMPLEX WORK OF EVALUATION OF TITLE I AND OTHER SPECIAL EDUCATION PROJECTS, THIS GUIDE HAS BEEN PREPARED. IT PRESENTS IN WORKBOOK…

Some of the most important evaluation questions cannot be answered through experimental research. The "assessment" of the St. Louis Leadership Program (SLLP), sponsored by the Danforth Foundations, is used as an illustration of a "connoisseur-based study" approach to evaluation. The project team, given limited time and funds, decided that it could…

This paper provides a model for five-page, self-evaluation reports to be used by projects funded by the New York State Education Department. This five-page model is proposed as an alternative to bulky, time-consuming documents that often suffer from "mismatch, mismanagement, and miscalculation." The report preview explains how to avoid…

Three types of explanation in evaluation are discussed: causal explanations, explanations of actions, and explanations of value judgments. The role and importance of each form is addressed, as are alternate approaches to providing such explanation. The concept of explanation is defined as anything said or done to help someone understand something.…

Viewing decision makers within the program as the primary audience for program evaluation information, a model for the evaluation of ESEA Title I projects is developed for program improvement as well as program assessment. The model incorporates four stages of assessment, with five evaluative criteria distinguished for each stage. Both negative…

Educational and social programs often develop from a weak or imprecise conceptualization relating the program's system of input variables to its claimed outcomes. Evaluation personnel can contribute both to the final development of a program and to the fair evaluation of such programs by learning to formally characterize programs and to construct…

Existing evaluation models have been examined and found wanting with respect to planning comprehensive evaluation strategy. In seeking a more coherent conceptual framework from which to design evaluation strategy, the Virginia Beach City Public Schools developed an evaluation Systems Framework. The framework represents a conceptual scheme which…

These guidelines for conducting a manpower utilization study are designed for independent use or in conjunction with any existing work measurement program for determining manpower requirements. Although the instructions are complete enough for use by themselves, a bibliography of publications is included to provide additional background…

This review of a research institute's evaluation of the national Follow Through program asserts that both the contracting office and the research institute failed to adequately specify the kind of study intended and the functions which it proposed to serve. One of several kinds of evaluation studies might have been undertaken: (1) a research…

The paper offers a brief definition of open education from a framework which is designed to be descriptive rather than proscriptive, and then considers the problem of how educators can evaluate the effectiveness of open educational practices. Open education policies are looked at from a historical and philosophical perspective, a psychological…