Funding practices of Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the principal source of funds for university-based research and scholarship in those disciplines, are examined. In the current competitive environment, the council uses varied evaluation activities, from peer-based grant adjudication for operational purposes to program…

Changing views of models of evaluation are considered, with a review of models for program evaluation debated in the 1970s. The evaluation of a police probationer training program illustrates the relationship between the democratic evaluation advocated by B. MacDonald and action research. (SLD)

This article discusses empowering thinking skills such as brainstorming, problem solving, analysis; comparison/contrast and how to cultivate these abilities in gifted children. Examples are given of ways for teachers to model thinking skills for students. The response of a student to the ideas of the article is included. (PB)

A series of analyses based on a longitudinal study of reading achievement in Chicago (Illinois) illustrate that the conclusions drawn about academic growth and the decisions about types of interventions needed may be very sensitive to the metric that is used (i.e., grade equivalents or item response theory metrics). (SLD)

This article describes a thinking process that can lead to meaningful Individualized Education Family Plan outcome statements for young children with disabilities. It offers questions for families and service providers to use to evaluate the outcome statements they craft together and describes some types of outcomes that do make a difference.…

Discusses how the author used administrative skills learned as a school library media specialist to meet the demands of a university department chair. Topics include the influence of decisions that are made; budgeting; evaluation concerns and responsibilities; determining guidelines and goals; political concerns; and the flow of information. (LRW)

Purpose: The identification of nursing home residents who can continue to participate in advance care planning about end-of-life care is a critical clinical and bioethical issue. This study uses high quality observational research to identify correlates of advance care planning in nursing homes, including objective measurement of capacity. Design…

With little or no effort to test underlying assumptions in the South African context, South African career counsellors have traditionally depended on "proven" assessment methods. Career counselling needs to move away from the almost sole use of psychometric tests to an approach that recognises an individual's social and historical…

A concise overview is provided of the history of evaluation, focusing on educational evaluation, followed by some observations on program evaluation in Spain and possible future developments. Evaluation was a new concept in Spain at the end of the Franco era, at a time when its development was beginning to gain momentum in the United States. The…

This paper provides an overview of a teacher evaluation system designed to improve the education of preservice teachers at Auburn University (Alabama) by promoting self-assessment, reflection, and professional growth. The system uses a portfolio approach which includes a simulation exercise in pedagogical decision making. The portfolio contains…

Descriptive statements of evaluation practices by principals were studied concerning normative expectations and J. Dewey's general logic of experience. Focus was on describing what principals think and do in terms of evaluation as a step toward bringing evaluation specialists and educational practitioners into a closer working relationship. Four…

The International Personnel Management Association Assessment Council (IPMAAC) is a non-profit organization of personnel assessment professionals involved in public personnel assessment. Author-generated summaries/outlines of papers are presented. The keynote address is "Ability Testing in the 1980's and Beyond: Some Major Trends" by A.…

This document presents key findings about the team evaluation process used in seven workplace basic skills programs in 1993 and 1994. An introduction summarizes the methodology used to develop the case studies and key findings about the team evaluation process. These key findings present the strengths and challenges of using evaluation teams,…

This study investigated the procedures used by psychologists in a large midwestern urban area for the initial diagnosis and placement of elementary children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) in educational programs in light of the widespread criticism of the use of projective tests due to the questionable reliability of the tests and…

Participatory evaluation is an assessment approach that involves the participants of a study from beginning to end. The evaluation strategy was implemented in a public school district to assess teacher involvement in decisionmaking, determine whether teachers desire more participation, and evaluate the assessment strategy itself. Data were…