Explores the quiet demise of the Kalamazoo (Michigan) Public Schools' effort to institute a comprehensive evaluation system for teachers and administrators that was complemented by a merit pay plan. Reasons for the program's failure may include hasty planning and implementation and an overwhelming amount of paper work. (Author/WD)

Describes a study of the structure, development, activities, and accomplishments of the community councils in Region One of the Detroit (Michigan) public school system. Lists nine factors that contributed to the success of these councils. (Author/WD)

Presents a systematic process for performing an analysis of program failure in adult education, including ways to identify the type of failure and questions designed to determine its cause. (SK)

Summarizes major concepts and approaches of the Evaluation Training Consortium project, showing how they relate to evaluation in the human resources development context. (CT)

Four fundamental issues in program evaluation are discussed: (1) evaluations involve stakeholders with diverse interests; (2) data involve some degree of subjectivity; (3) meaningful interpretation of results requires understanding of the assumptions on which results are based; and (4) programs are dynamic and require flexible evaluations.…

The research described in this article was undertaken to discover the extent to which the SHAred Process Evaluation System (SHAPES) model of the community development process can be said to describe what actually happens in a community development project. The model and its development and instrumentation are described. (Author)

The paper reviews the methodology of quantitative documentation of the progress of handicapped, delayed, and at risk infants in early intervention programs. The authors discuss design and analysis issues, concluding that the use of several designs and analytic techniques provides useful exploration of hypotheses in early intervention programs.…

The paper focuses on the evaluation of individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped children. IEP evaluation is discussed in terms of general considerations for evaluation and evaluation of the overall IEP effort. (Author/SB)

An innovative new evaluation unit in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is detailed. This unit, the Office of Service Delivery Assessment (SDA), regularly briefs the Secretary on the services delivered to clients at the local level. The process of the SDA is described and conclusions are offered. (Author/GK)

Federal support for answers to the question "What is really going on out there?" has increased interest in the use of ethnography as a research method for evaluation of educational programs. Pros and cons of the use of ethnography for educational research are discussed. (PR)

Describes a program to achieve permanent foster care placement for children. Program aspects include screening, placement, and removing barriers which prevent family restoration. After two years of operation, a 70 percent success rate is claimed for permanent placements, at an annual savings of approximately $100,000. (Author/DB)

Examined variables (social background, intake symptoms, program type, treatment experiences, and perceptions of environment) related to posttreatment functioning of alcoholic patients. Results showed the combined explanatory power of program-related variables was more than expected. Explained variance was shared between patient-related and…

The philosophical and psychological foundations of the resistance evaluators encounter when attempting to implement evaluation efforts are explored. Problems in the evaluative paradigm are presented, and suggested coping strategies are discussed. (Author/GK)

Five causal metaphors running throughout youth employment and education programs are reviewed: (1) the functionalist economic model; (2) the institutional socialization model; (3) a psychosocial view of youth development; (4) the subcultural model; and (5) a self-determined community development vision. (Author/GK)

Reviews formative evaluation and presents a model for instructional material development and revision. The model can be used for curriculum development efforts and is designed to be helpful in a variety of instructional efforts. (CT)