CONDUCTED BY THE OREGON STATE LIBRARY WITH DR. PRESTON P. LE BRETON FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SERVING AS THE CONSULTANT, THIS WEEK LONG INSTITUTE WAS HELD TO PREPARE LIBRARY ADMINISTRATORS FOR STATE-WIDE PLANNING FOR LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT IN OREGON. SPECIFIC GOALS OF INSTITUTE PARTICIPANTS WERE TO EXAMINE ACCEPTED MANAGEMENT AND…

The organizational structure of this manual parallels the evolutionary stages in school improvement--needs assessment, planning, implementation, and outcomes. The manual provides procedures for data-based management and includes within each section, sample instruments, data collection and analyses procedures, and questions for decision-making. The…

The model described here was developed for use as a program planning guide by teachers, many of them business and other lay people, at the secondary school level who offer adult education courses on how to make management decisions and solve problems. Ten features of the model are listed: (1) The purpose is to assist owner-operators or managers to…

The cross-levels hypothesis is presented as an explanation for program evaluation failures. It states that the usefulness of evaluation data as feedback for decision making varies inversely with the number of organizational levels between the action the data describe, and the decisions they are intended to influence. To be useful for decision…

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of systems analysis as applied to the development of a program evaluation plan. A brief review of selected concepts in evaluation theory (Lee J. Cronbach; Michael Scriven; Robert Stake; Daniel Stufflebeam), a description of general systems theory, the development of a…

This publication documents a participatory assessment project conducted from 1993 to 1995 with four afterschool programs in New York City. Key questions were whether the assessment project would develop the capacity of program staff to assess their own projects and whether the programs were successful in supporting the literacy development of the…

In this paper, the impacts of Electronic Commerce (EC) on the international marketing strategies of information service industries are studied. In seeking to blend humanistic concerns in this research with technological development by addressing challenges for deterministic attitudes, the paper examines critical environmental factors relevant to…

One of the keys to successfully identifying innovation configurations is to develop a clear understanding and description of innovation components. The first step requires the identification of operational components. Secondly, it is important to observe the innovation in use and to interview users. The final steps involve constructing a checklist…

An example is provided of an evaluation in which the formulation of explicit decision rules was a central activity. The case for and against the use of decision rules in program evaluation is considered, and the appropriate context identified. Implications for the rights of decision makers are addressed. (Author/CTM)

Various means of evaluating teaching are discussed along with the pros and cons of using each method for improving teaching or making personnel decisions. (Editor/LBH)

Seven papers suggest ways in which theory informs evaluation research in the area of energy conservation. Perspectives of epistemology and methodology and political and bureaucratic issues are addressed. Examples show how theoretically informed concepts and propositions about personal choice and organizational process contribute to knowledge about…

This paper addresses the issue of when a child should be discharged from language intervention, by integrating the concept of multiple treatment outcomes into existing frameworks of treatment dismissal. Techniques are offered for evaluating a child's progress toward attainment of ultimate, intermediate, and instrumental outcomes. (Author/JDD)

Provides a methodology for selection of an expert support system (ESS) in an emergency management training environment. A decision matrix construct for selection of an ESS for casualty disposition training at Emergency Preparedness Canada is presented, and four system options of simulation models that deal with emergency management are described.…

Two approaches to measurement for instructional decision making (specific subskill mastery measurement and general outcome measurement) are described and illustrated with case studies. The paper concludes that measuring general outcome indicators can bridge traditional and contemporary assessment paradigms to form an innovative approach to…

Identifies outcomes that an assessment program oriented to black students in higher education can reasonably be expected to produce. Components of a database on which retention decisions and actions may be developed are explored. Valid assessment may be the key to designing effective retention plans. (SLD)