This international study focuses on the funding systems in the area of higher education in the following countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Portugal and Slovak Republic. Each individual country study was designed and conducted within an overall common framework by a project partner from the respective…

Since implementing NCLB (No Child Left Behind), raising of test scores and making AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) have been paramount in the schools and the search has been on to find "THE" answer in the schools' quest to attain these goals. When hunting for appropriate methods to reach these objectives, needs assessments are often…

This article is based on interviews carried out in rural communities in Canada and Wales with health care workers, educators, administrators and policymakers. The focus of the interviews was on assessing the perceived needs and available services for rural youth, either within their schools or within the immediate community. Various problems and…

Investigating University-School Partnerships: A Volume in Professional Development School Research, the fourth book in the PDS Research Series developed by the same editors, includes a collection of organized papers that represent the best and latest examples of practitioner thinking, research, and program design and evaluation in the field at the…

One rationale for implementing a particular evaluation approach is the empowerment of stakeholders. Evaluation as empowerment and possible links between empowerment and increased utilization of evaluation results are explored. Evaluation as empowerment assumes that individuals need to be personally productive and responsible in coping with their…

Evaluation client characteristics are outlined, based on experiences of the Office of Instructional and Management Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and contract evaluators for industry and other higher education institutions. Objectivity, expertise, sensitivity to client needs, standardized data presentation,…

Using test results to improve instruction is vital to improving the education system, but equally important is to report results to other stakeholders. These stakeholders include the students who took the test, their parents or guardians, other parents in the school or district, the local school board, and the public at large. Effective reporting…

A survey was conducted to investigate variation in stakeholder perceptions of training results and evaluation within the context of a high-technology product development firm (the case organization). A scannable questionnaire survey booklet was developed and scanned data were exported and analyzed. Based on an achieved sample of 280 (70% response…

Two perspectives on higher education's stakeholders and their involvement in the development of knowledge in universities are examined and contrasted: (1) that the "stakeholder" notion of knowledge doesn't allow for critical engagement with knowledge, and (2) that the "stakeholder" view of knowledge acknowledges clear links between knowledge and…

The article and commentary in this special section consider the ethical implications of a remark by an employee in a business being evaluated that employees have been advised to make the program look good. Explores the implications for the evaluation and its usefulness. (SLD)

Stakeholder analysis provides insights useful in the educational process for tourism and hospitality education. Stakeholders can influence (1) strategic direction through curriculum planning and (2) measurement of performance through quality management. (SK)

A stakeholder approach to curriculum development for business education applies perspectives of multiple constituencies to functional areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, and management. It can be applied to integrated or standalone courses and encourages team teaching and teamwork. (SK)

The case of the University of Missouri Extension's role in a very controversial study on dairy compacts illustrates that care must be taken to conduct such studies in an objective and scholarly manner without unnecessarily alienating stakeholders. Academic freedom and integrity must be maintained. At the same time, Extension cannot operate…

Conceptualizes key differences between management and leadership as a basis for suggesting ways in which evaluators might operate to serve the decision-making needs of organizational leaders. Evaluators will provide maximum leverage if they work directly with the leadership to promote review and change. (SLD)

This theoretical essay uses tacit knowledge, the often-undocumented wisdom of experts, to explore future prospects for academic librarians. Identifies traditional and emerging valuations of the academic librarian held by higher education stakeholders and explores practical implications for university funding using the philosophical stance of…