A database of about 300 published evaluations is used to compare some of the lessons learned in recent practice to some of the traditional theoretical precepts of evaluation. Evaluation practice should recognize its sources in politics as it keeps its independence. Changes to help bring this about are recommended. (SLD)

Describes the development of evaluation within the United States and traces the connections between evaluation and the documents that founded the United States. Analyzes the demands placed on evaluation by modern democracies and comments on the importance of the selection of evaluation indicators and the necessity of systematic evaluation. (SLD)

The intent of these comments is to discuss the increasingly fragmented and conflictive politics of school finance in the context of the broader domains of public finance and public policy, and to comment on differences that have emerged between two groups interested in fairer school financing programs. The sources of conflict are in the struggle…

This paper examines the local Commissions on the Status of Women (CSW) groups, whose primary task is to shape a women's agenda for the participation in politics at the community level. CSW's now exist in 150 communities across the United States as official advisory boards to general jurisdiction governments. Five questions are explored in this…

This paper considers those factors that have been at work shaping educational policy at the state level in New Jersey. For simplicity and to permit a degree of comparison among the states, five questions are addressed: (1) What have been the effects of court intervention, (2) Are "new" political coalitions being formed and how effective…

The relationships among mass media, interpersonal communication, and voting behavior were explored in a two-stage panel study of 141 respondents during a 1974 Illinois congressional election. Analyses of perceived exposures to mass media and to interpersonal communication were interpreted as supporting Rogers and Shoemakers' (1971)…

Discusses Project Literacy U. S. and how it connects directly to the economic imperative, competitiveness, political strength, and human resources. Discusses the importance of literacy and basic skills training in correctional institutions. (JOW)

Analyzes editorial endorsements on the basis of ownership. Suggests that neither group-owned nor independently owned newspapers had much impact on the outcome of the statewide elections examined. Reveals that group newspapers are slightly more liberal in their endorsements. (MM)

Noting that one's intellectual experiences presage one's later political commitments, this address explores the political commitments students make when they decide to major in communication studies. (PD)

Empowerment as originally used referred to a political process in which systemic power was analyzed and redistributed. To translate concepts of empowerment into foster care terminology, an indifferent society fails to support families at risk, then increases their powerlessness by removing their children. Foster children are primarily children of…

The policies initiated by broadcasters for campaign coverage during the 1924 presidential election influenced the treatment of political candidates on the air and helped set the stage for inclusion of the equal opportunities clause in the Radio Act of 1927. AT&T, RCA, and General Electric formed policies to treat candidates fairly in…

A study examined identification and consistency theory of interface between rhetorical and communication theory, to demonstrate the compatibility of specific principles in Kenneth Burke's theory with those in the work of Fritz Heider and other consistency theorists and to make suggestions toward a Burkeian theory of identification through…

This paper argues that the amorality evident among U.S. citizens may be the result of individuals and society's inability to understand the relationship between the public and private life of the citizen and the role and function of ethics in that relationship. The argument has three premises. First, U.S. citizens have developed a sort of cultural…

The paper reviews factors affecting the success of handicapped infant intervention programs. The absence of political leadership and support at the federal level, caused by changing political and economic conditions, is discussed. The practical programmatic issues affecting infant intervention which are considered include setting, staffing,…

The use of polling is partly responsible for a change in the relationship between government and public opinion. There is a range of public opinion from little or no concern to very intense concern about an issue. Polls translate personal beliefs into collective public opinions, often losing the strong feelings at the one end and the moderate…