Evaluating extension educator performance is difficult due to the nature of extension education, the variety of educational methods and clientele, and the broad subject matter taught. Some approaches to performance evaluation are classroom visitation, self-appraisal, plan of work review, "student" input, group sampling, and peer evaluation. (MF)

From his extension experience in Wayne County, Michigan, the third most populous county in the nation, the author offers some principles to consider in enhancing staff and program effectiveness: resource assessment, staff utilization, program funding, time management, and program visibility. (MF)

Presents two evaluation approaches that can be adapted to a variety of programs: measuring learning and measuring behavior change. Both methods, the measurement of what was learned in a program and the assessment of changes in behavior following a program, can strengthen program evaluation. (MF)

Following a description of the misfortunes Jamaican agriculture has faced in the past decade, this article focuses on the nonformal adult education program and its relationship to long-range stabilization of agricultural production. (LRA)

History is one of the two required disciplines in the University of Victoria program at Matsqui Institution, a program built around the encouragement of moral education in prisoners. This paper attempts to assess the contribution the study of history can make to such a process. (Author/SJL)

Described is the nationwide continuing education program developed for professional engineers. Fifteen universities participated to provide over 200 courses through videotapes, films, and educational television delivery systems. (CS)

The author traces university extension from its elite English roots to evolving forces toward democratization of educational opportunities and the simultaneous emergence of similar American programs such as library-related night schools, the Lyceum movement, Chataqua, the Philadelphia Society for Extension of University Teaching, and the…

Responding to the problem of an appropriate institutional structure to meet the needs of a clientele group dominated by the part-time student, the author outlines a definition of organization, a series of assumptions, and several necessary conditions which contribute to the probability of successful extension/continuing education programs. (EA)

The author provides a personal view of the qualities and conditions that contribute to becoming a successful continuing education programer by examining the various competencies which can improve one's effectiveness and stature within the organization. (Author/BP)

After a century as a marginal concern of colleges and universities, continuing education is becoming an important goal of higher education and is leading to strains in traditional adult programs. (LBH)

Regarding technology-based educational improvement, systemic reform involves two major shifts: including possibilities for "distributed learning"--using information technologies off-campus to enhance classroom activities; and reconfiguring existing budgets to free up money for innovation, instead of relying on special, external…

Affluent mothers of preschoolers (n=85) expressed strong interest in most of the parent education topics in an extension survey. Their interests were largely similar to those of parents from other socioeconomic groups. They were more interested in changes in personal identity/role and in issues related to having partners in high power/high…

In the University of California Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program, a partnership with the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, volunteers teach approximately 1000 people annually how to compost in their backyards to help reduce landfill waste. Surveys conducted in 1995 and 1996 showed that home composters reduced their input into…

Three articles--"Youth at Risk: Extension's Hard Decisions" (Sauer), "Youth Are at Risk and So Are We..." (Hoopfer), and "Youth at Risk--Time for Action" (Junge)--address the role of cooperative extension and 4-H in youth development and why leadership arising from extension's strengths is imperative. (SK)

A radio course on nutrition consisted of 5 20-minute programs broadcast on a Spanish station in California. Participants (125 Hispanic women) were pre- and posttested and given certificates of completion. Of 102 respondents, 67 percent listened to all 5 lessons. A significant number increased knowledge; reported decreased consumption of fats,…