This article provides an analytical framework that not only explains the contradictions in the relationship between decentralization and development, but also facilitates constructive debate about decentralization's role in development. It also reviews the extent, form, and impact of recent decentralization policies and programs in less developed…

"Scale Up in Education, Volume 1: Ideas in Principle" examines the challenges of "scaling up" from a multidisciplinary perspective. It brings together contributions from disciplines that routinely take promising innovations to scale, including medicine, business, engineering, computing, and education. Together the contributors explore appropriate…

Local practitioners and state policymakers are focused on implementing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (P.L. 107-110), which in 2001 reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). At the same time, federal policymakers are working to help educators meet both the letter and the spirit of the law: to ensure that no child,…

With a continuing emphasis on improving student reading achievement across the nation, many elementary educators are exploring the idea of initiating a volunteer reading tutoring program. Although individuals associated with tutoring programs may think about implementation issues, often the focus is on program location, the recruitment and…

Forms of evaluation that involve evaluators working collaboratively with practitioners on applied social research projects are becoming increasingly common, but a body of empirical literature that warrants firm conclusions about collaborative evaluation has not yet been accumulated. This survey studies the views of evaluators and program…

This document contains revised policy and guidelines for the external evaluation of new graduate-level programs in the Oregon University System. Each institution in the Oregon University System that requests a new graduate-level or graduate degree program or a significant new option within an existing graduate program must complete an external…

As part of a school reform program, focused initially on literacy the San Diego City Schools decided to create the position of school-based staff developer. Creating this position proved to be a daunting challenge, with considerable disagreement between the union and the school district. Data were collected about the early implementation of the…

Presents a conceptual model of discrepancy analysis evaluation for planning, evaluating, and assessing the impact of continuing medical education (CME). Describes the model in terms of its value as a means of diagnosing errors in the development and implementation of CME. (JOW)

Stakeholder-based studies modify the relationship between evaluator and user, producing conflict that can cause evaluators to regress to familiar, traditional patterns that leave interactive evaluation strategies only partially implemented. (Author/PN)

Describes the implementation and evaluation of a program rewarding good teaching in the Catalina Foothills School District in Tucson (Arizona). Based on motivation-hygiene theory, which claims that money is not a motivator, the program funds teacher attendance at conferences and purchases of instructional equipment rather than teacher pay…

Describes activities developed in promoting a statewide continuing education system. They included television and radio advertisements, a user's manual, and a logo. Program evaluation and implementation are also discussed. (CT)

The formative/summative evaluation dichotomy suggested by M. Scriven is challenged, and a conceptual typology is presented that crosses improvement and assessment evaluation functions with process and outcome program stages for four basic types of evaluation. This framework accommodates mixed types of evaluations. (SLD)

A review of qualitative methods used in a predominantly quantitative evaluation indicates a variety of roles for such a mixing of methods, including framing and revising research questions, assessing the validity of measures and adaptations to program implementation, and gauging the degree of uncertainty and generalizability of conclusions.…

PROJECT BLUE was funded during the first phase of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative and proposed to provide students in its District with a range of services to improve school safety, decrease school violence, decrease alcohol and drug use, and improve student mental health. Selected results are highlighted and lessons learned from the…

Arguing that "needs assessment" is too vaguely defined, this paper considers the term's location within the planning field, compares two variants of the discrepancy model (classical versus social welfare approaches), and reflects on the assumptions and implications imbedded in needs assessment technocracy. Includes 16 notes and 26 references. (MLH)