A pilot in-school suspension program, whose goal is to remove disruptive students from the classroom while providing continuing education and an opportunity to change inappropriate behavior, is described and evaluated. Findings show that it is appropriate and effective for minor offenses but it requires greater parental involvement. (TE)

A review of the effectiveness of extension education programs in Douglas County, Kansas is presented. Data were collected through a review of program data, interviews, and questionnaires sent to county residents. The results indicate a general knowledge and acceptance of the county's extension services among the respondents. (EC)

Discusses a survey of forecast preparers and users in 127 major companies in an attempt to assess underlying problems and identify areas for improvement. Concludes that forecasting responsibilities and tasks must be better defined and that forecast preparers and users must become better informed about one another's roles. (Author/JG)

Under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation, 22 urban school districts have been involved in a long-term educational reform through the Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) program since 1994. This paper presents a brief summary of findings regarding best policies and practices in the educational reform effort focusing on student…

SOCRATES is the European Community education action program. SOCRATES I began in 1995 and ended in 1999. SOCRATES II, begun in 2000, continues until December 31, 2006. This study sought to identify how both the principles and practices of equal opportunities between women and men were interpreted in a sample of 100 centralized and 113…

This handbook is designed for anyone seeking a methodical approach to needs assessment, but it is intended primarily for human resource development (HRD) professionals and for those who must validate HRD programs. It lays the foundations for needs assessment, discusses the "whats" and "whys," and then reviews the "how tos." These chapters review…

Harvard Family Research Project's series of Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots distills the wealth of information compiled in our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database into a single report. Each Snapshot examines a specific aspect of out-of-school time (OST) evaluation. This Snapshot describes the common data collection methods used…

The rupture between evaluation and action is seen as a failure to take a systems view of the situation. Both the organization and the proposed evaluation program must be understood as interactive systems, which mesh with, rather than oppose, each other if they are appropriately designed and implemented. (MLW)

Reviews previous work in training observers for collecting observational counseling data. Outlines a nine-step Systematic Rater Training Model, which includes overview and contract, concept presentation, stimulation, modeling, passive discrimination, active discrimination, production, transfer of training to performance, and ongoing evaluation.…

Ratings of evaluation consultant and evaluation report were influenced by use of jargon and data but were generally unrelated to whether they were read by a lay or professional audiences. In contrast, extent of agreement with recommendations were related to audience type and rarely related to the style of the report. (Author/GK)

A model is presented for conducting follow-up studies of preservice and inservice teacher training. (JD)

Discusses computerized management information systems (MIS) data in mental health program evaluation. Using an actual evaluation with data from the Multi-State Information System as an example, practical problems in collecting and assembling useful information are presented. MIS data can be useful; however, care must be taken to assure the quality…

Arts-In-Education programs are among those curricula currently being evaluated in a day when all expenditures in education are being challenged. There are different ways to evaluate programs and no one way is the right way. Focuses on the responsibility of the evaluator and on how evaluation can effectively perform a service. (Author/RK)