Acknowledgments
Volume I: Executive Summary (cont'd)
The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program, administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), consists of a network of 10 Laboratories that are working to promote knowledge-based school improvement to help all students meet high standards and to help the nation meet the National Education Goals. This network represents the largest research and development program supported by the federal government designed to support educators, policy makers and communities in improving schools and assisting students in achieving their greatest potential. In August 1998, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Planning and Evaluation Service (PES), Office of the Undersecretary awarded a contract to Decision Information Resources, Inc. (DIR) to conduct an Interim Evaluation of the Regional Educational Laboratories.
Evaluation Mandate
Title IX, Part D, Section 941(h)(7) of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994, P.L.103-227, requires the Assistant Secretary of OERI to provide for independent evaluation of each of the Regional Educational Laboratories in carrying out the duties set forth in Section 941(h)(1). Each Laboratory is to be evaluated independently in the third year of its five-year contract with the Department, in accordance with the Standards for Conduct and Evaluation of Activities Carried Out by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) — Evaluation of the Performance of Recipients of Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts, as required in Title IX, Part A, Section 912(I) of P.L. 103-227. The Standards govern the conduct of this Interim Evaluation and require that it be carried out through a peer review process with an individual evaluation report prepared by each member of the review panel. The Standards (56 Fed. Reg. 57,570 et seq. (October 27, 1998)) further specify the four criteria to be assessed in the interim evaluation process -- Implementation and Management, Quality, Utility, and Outcomes and Impact.
The objectives of the Interim Evaluation of the Regional Educational Laboratories were twofold. The first was to assess the performance of each of the 10 Laboratories during the first three years of their 1995-2000 contract with the Department of Education. The second objective was to provide useful information to guide program improvement during the remainder of the contract term.
The following document is the first volume in a multi-volume set. The Executive Summary begins with a brief description of the study design, including the evaluation framework, the peer review process, and implementation procedures (Section A). A more detailed discussion of these issues is provided in Volume II (Study Design and Methodology). The Executive Summary continues with a discussion of study limitations (Section B) and the challenges encountered in conducting this Interim Evaluation (Section C). The Executive Summary concludes with a review of selected findings at each Laboratory through Lab-specific summaries of selected strengths and areas needing attention identified by each panel. Excerpts from the synthesis report prepared by the panel chair are provided, along with selected sections of the Lab’s written response. Complete versions of the synthesis reports, Lab responses, individual evaluation reports prepared by the peer review panelists, and individual Lab evaluation plans are compiled in Lab-specific volumes (Volumes III-XII).
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Volume I: Executive Summary (cont'd) |