The effectiveness of children's services is often limited by a series of problems that also impede meaningful evaluation. This article describes and assesses research strategies to enhance the evaluability of a programme for disaffected young people, arguing that they have the potential to improve services more widely. It explores methods for…

In December 2005, the United Kingdom launched a process for evaluating the design quality of primary and secondary school buildings. The Design Quality Indicator (DQI) for Schools is a tool that can assist stakeholders--teachers, parents, school governors, students, community members, local authority clients and building professionals--to achieve…

The American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Plus 50 Initiative (2008-2011), funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, was created to build the capacity of community colleges nationwide to develop programming that engages the plus 50 learner. The Initiative supported a pilot group of 13 two-year institutions to develop or expand college…

High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase…

High school improvement initiatives often focus on specific intervention strategies, programs, or priority topics (e.g., dropout intervention). However, research shows that systemic and sustainable improvement can only be achieved when initiatives are implemented with consideration for the broader education contexts in which they operate. The…

This article explores cultural factors impeding members of the school community from engaging in shared decision-making (SDM) processes. It reports on findings from a larger qualitative research study of SDM in Egypt's secondary schools. The purpose of the study was to identify barriers to SDM, using data collected from nine general secondary…

This paper focuses on the historical review of neo-liberalism in Korean education with relevance to human rights education and teachers movement. In transition to post-colonial society, Korea confronts polarization of education. From the first stage just after the independence from Japanese Colonization in 1945 to the fifth present stage, Korean…

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), as part of its regular operations, monitors client satisfaction, and seeks to sustain a process of informed decision making in the development and delivery of products and services. This report documents client satisfaction with McREL services as determined by participant evaluations.…

It is suggested that there are some serious problems with defining the concept of empowerment evaluation, with its underlying assumptions, and with its proposed justification. Although devolving some responsibility for evaluation is good, devolving all of it to stakeholders is bad, as is thinking that the devolution creates a new kind of…

Identifies key factors that should be considered by those engaged in the evaluation of overseas development projects to ensure that the evaluation process leads to the empowerment of local stakeholders. A literature review resulted in the development of seven guidelines for evaluation of overseas development projects. (SLD)

Reviews critical dimensions in evaluation that emerge from efforts to promote use within a context of stakeholder participation. Case examples illustrate two potentially problematic domains: stakeholder selection and depth of stakeholder involvement. (Author/SLD)

Uses a case study of an evaluation conducted in a psychiatric institution to illustrate the issues that arise when techniques of deliberative democratic evaluation are applied in an antidemocratic climate. Illuminates strategies for stakeholder inclusion from a deliberative, democratic point of view. (SLD)

Conceives of the classroom as a service encounter between marketer (instructor) and stakeholders (students), making stakeholder satisfaction the key to meeting learning goals. Suggests ways to create value in the classroom: understanding what stakeholders need and want, efficiently delivering services, and demonstrating product leadership. (SK)

The "use of evaluation" once meant the use of evaluation results for making program decisions, but there is a new awareness of the possibility of using many aspects of evaluation. This paper highlights the importance of considering additional prospective users of evaluation, including organizers, client groups, and civil society. (Author/SLD)

The Evaluation Voices approach collaboratively united perspectives of program stakeholders, evaluators, and network partners to strengthen individual program evaluation strategies. This approach is described, with emphasis on the shared experience of evaluators and network partners. (SLD)