Communities of Practice offer state agency personnel a promising approach for engaging stakeholder groups in collaboratively solving complex and, often, persistent problems in special education. Communities of Practice can help state agency personnel drive strategy, solve problems, promote the spread of best practices, develop members'…

The ACCE position statement for creating media enriched learning communities targets all stakeholders in educational policy and practice who influence the future of learning, schools, and systems. Stakeholders include policy-makers in government, national and international organisations, professional networks and institutions, school leaders,…

The goal of this study was to examine how and to what extent secondary teachers have implemented educational reforms in China that have had a direct impact on students, teachers, and parents. The survey concluded that teachers and parents liked the reform initiatives. Most teachers were able to make changes that supported the reforms even though…

Evaluators frequently experience the dilemma of how to empower a program staff if the staff and other stakeholders are compelled to participate in activities that they don't believe they need or believe may actually harm the program. A framework is proposed to empower program staff and other stakeholders and to reduce potential dilemmas. The…

This article refers to two uses of the term "program theory": (1) microtheory to describe the model of the program; and (2) macrotheory which is concerned with factors that affect social change both within and outside programs. Barriers to successful utilization of evaluation and suggestions to overcome those barriers are discussed. (JAZ)

Field data from two case studies of youth employment and day care information/referral programs illustrate dynamic linkages between stakeholder participation and utilization in program evaluation. Elements of the participatory process (which fosters a readiness for use) are linked to cognitive, affective, and political dimensions of participation…

Family resource centers (FRC) are emerging as a promising program approach to solving urgent social problems. Evaluation plays an important role in learning how these programs work, what their impact is, and whether they should be expanded. However, FRCs pose unique challenges to evaluation. This report considers the challenges to evaluating FRCs,…

This paper outlines a successful, stakeholder driven, continuous improvement process that is currently used at Estrella Mountain Community College, Arizona. The process is designed to address the next step of what to do with institutional effectiveness data after it has been collected and reported. Many institutional effectiveness processes stop…

Analysis of the assumptions underlying the stakeholder approach to evaluation combined with the limited experience in testing the approach reported in this volume, suggests that some claims are cogent and others problematical. (Author)

The grounded experiences of two participatory evaluation case studies indicate that, when action is the desired outcome of an evaluation, somewhat less rather than more diversity of stakeholder participation is actually what is wanted. A narrowing of diversity is not necessarily in violation of democratic participatory aims. (SLD)

Postmodern approaches to school-level evaluation by building on the fourth-generation evaluation model developed by E. Guba and Y. Lincoln are suggested. It is argued that this conceptualization of evaluation has particular relevance for development of alternative evaluation practices among stakeholders that can improve the use of evaluation…

Discusses how to determine the benefits and costs of distance education programs. Highlights include analyzing long-term costs, including student and academic support, program administration, marketing, and research and development; identifying and serving stakeholders; focusing on niche programs where a market exists; understanding the…

Assessment is analyzed using the conceptualization of educational evaluation. Ten questions provide the framework for this analysis: the meaning of assessment, purpose of assessment, criteria to judge the merit or worth of what has been assessed, who should be served by assessment, etc. (MLW)

Presents a planning guide that can be used to improve community-based evaluation. The guide consists of a set of questions to be discussed with all stakeholders. It covers issues of the nature and purpose of the evaluation, research methods and approaches, participation and decision making, conflict resolution, and dissemination and use of…

Purpose: To explore potential mismatches between stakeholders' perceptions and expectations of key and technical skills needed for an advanced modern apprentice within the UK. Design/methodology/approach: Using data collected from the automotive sector, the template process is used to establish lecturer, student and employee stakeholder group's…