As clearly stated by Pareto, no society can avoid the economic problem of "opposition between tastes and obstacles" that is, as in other categories of economic decisions, investments in education have to take into account their opportunity cost. This implies that when education policies need to be implemented, there is a previous need of comparing different actions and evaluating them to assess their attractiveness. In this comparison process, one of the technical difficulties which has to be solved is the choice of the correct mathematical aggregation rule (i.e. the commonly called investment evaluation criterion or discount method) to use.^The internal rate of return (IRR) is widely used in educational policy and planning; the main justifications are three: 1) the choice of a discount rate may vary for different countries and at different times, while IRR is an "objective" measure, 2) IRR allows the comparison with investments in the private sector, and 3) IRR allows the comparison of investments in different educational fields, such as primary schooling and university (by simply considering the average rates of return in each field). However, the debate on the proper evaluation criterion to use, when a private investment decision has to be taken or a public project appraisal has to be carried out, is a traditional one in financial, public and production economics. Although the considerable amount of existing literature, the problem of the choice of the right investment evaluation criterion is still an open one.^The majority of authors claim that net present value (NPV) is a superior criterion and thus it is the one to be always used. Other authors try to show that various investment evaluation criteria, under specific conditions, arrive at the same recommendation. This research aims at clarifying this controversial topic by focusing on some clear cut formal properties of the various investment evaluation criteria and by considering the empirical characteristics of the different fields of application. Clear guidelines for education investment evaluation will be drawn.

The past decade has seen increased attention to cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost analysis in education as administrators are being asked to accomplish more with the same or even fewer resources, philanthropists are keen to calculate their "return on investment" in social programs, and the general public is increasingly scrutinizing how resources are allocated to schools and colleges. Economic Evaluation in Education: Cost-Effectiveness and Benefit-Cost Analysis (titled Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: Methods and Applications in its previous editions) is the only full-length book to provide readers with the step-by-step methods they need to plan and implement a benefit-cost analysis in education. Authors Henry M. Levin, Patrick J. McEwan, Clive Belfield, Alyshia Brooks Bowden, and Robert Shand examine a range of issues, including how to identify, measure, and distribute costs; how to measure effectiveness, utility, and benefits; and how to incorporate cost evaluations into the decision-making process. The updates to the Third Edition reflect the considerable methodological development in the evaluation literature, and the greater empiricism practiced by education researchers, to help readers learn to apply more advanced methods to their own analyses.

Design high-impact professional learning programs with results-based evaluations You want to make sure that the time, effort, and resources you are investing in your professional learning programs is truly making an impact on educator effectiveness and student achievement. Joellen Killion guides you step by step through the rigors of producing an effective, in-depth, results-based evaluation to measure effectiveness and retain stakeholder support. The methods outlined here: Adhere to changes in federal and state policy relating to professional learning and educator development Facilitate the use of extensive datasets crucial for measuring feasibility, equity, sustainability, and impact of professional learning Help you make data-informed decisions and increase quality and results

This paper proposes an integration of two neutrosophic based multi-criteria decision makingbmethods, namely the neutrosophic data analytical hierarchy process (NDAHP) and the Technique of OrderbPreference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) with maximizing deviation method, both based onbthe single-valued neutrosophic set (SVNS) to evaluate the efciency of general insurance companies inbMalaysia.

This collection of papers covers, from a European perspective, the basic aspects of investments in physical educational facilities, as well as important issues in the economics of education. Four themes are covered. The first presents the art of the economic analysis of educational projects. The second focuses on the contribution of performance indicators in the evaluation of education systems. The third concerns the management of physical resources for education, especially the relationship between school environment and student achievement. The last theme addresses the design and equipment of physical facilities for education. It argues for investments in building human capital, and provides the tools for assessing the rates of return on these types of investments. Final comments focus on facility flexibility: what it is and which requirements it is supposed to meet. The papers included are: "Building Human Capital in Europe: Issues and Methods" (George Psacharopoulos); "Cost-Benefit Analysis in Education Projects: Internal Rates of Return, Methodologies and Theoretical Objections" (Tom Healy); "Externalities, Non-Market Effects, and Trends in Returns to Educational Investments" (Walter W. McMahon); "Investment in Education in OECD Countries--Finance and Ownership" (Andreas Schleicher); "What Do Developed Countries Today Demand from Their Educational Systems?" (Torsten Husen); "What Do Developed Countries Expect of Their Educational Systems? Reflections on the French Experience" (Francois Louis); "Making Better Use of School Buildings: Schools as Social Capital" (Kenn Fisher); "The Impact of School Building Conditions, Student Achievement, and Behaviour" (Glen I. Earthman); "Environmental Appraisal of Education Facilities" (Christopher French); "Patterns and Design Strategies for New School Buildings" (Rodolfo Almeida); and "Investing for Flexibility" (Sam Cassels and Peter McLennan). (Most chapters contain references.) (GR)

Cost-effectiveness analysis allows researchers and evaluators to determine if a particular program or policy has attained maximum effectiveness for a given budget. This book introduces cost-effectiveness analysis and gives readers step-by-step methods to plan and implement a cost-analysis study. It explains and illustrates the four major techniques : cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, cost-utility, and cost-feasibility. It discusses choice of analysis, implementation, the nature of costs (including how to identify, measure, and distribute costs); measuring effectiveness, utility, and benefits; and, lastly the difficulties of including cost evaluations in the decision making process. Each chapter ends with exercises that enable readers to sharpen their ability to evaluate policy options and program effectiveness.

This volume gathers some of the methods being developed by evaluators from university settings and the private sector. While providing models and methods, these authors also raise larger questions, such as: "How can schools meet the challenge of educating all children without being limited by the educational legacy of a 'one size fits all' curriculum and normative testing?" More than documenting an "apprenticeship to gadgetry," evaluators are seeking to measure meaningful learning and changes in teaching - investigating approaches that are not possible or that are less accessible when students are in traditional classrooms without technology. In this first volume of the series Research Methods for Educational Technology (RMET) the contributing authors draw upon examples of their work evaluating the implementation and development of educational technology as well as the impact of policies and programs in this field. Within this volume several authors have written about the implementation and evaluation of technology across cultures and national boundaries, pointing to an area of research that will rapidly expand in this decade. The concern for meeting the needs of policymakers is also apparent in several of these chapters, but there is tension between providing them with positive results to support their efforts and reexamining the questions they are asking and how these questions are developed. We know that evaluation is not the extended arm of public relations, and yet it becomes clear that evaluators are often asked to demonstrate a project "is successful" on the threat that the funding will be cut. While this decision-making process fits the timetable of the fiscal year, it does not acknowledge that evaluation can be formative and strengthen programs. This timetable also ignores the investment of time that is needed when implementing innovations like the Internet into teaching and learning. Many of the authors included in this volume write from the context of evaluating federally-funded programs, and they provide valuable insight for future projects which are created and evaluated at the state-level. As technology initiatives are developed and funded outside of the federal arena, more evaluators will be called upon. From approaches developed from federally-funded projects, we can build upon these methods and models for evaluation within regional projects to answer questions related to budgets and accountability. As we answer these immediate questions, we can move forward to examine the long-term impact of technology, and the possibility that exercises in conformity will replace the adventure of human enlightenment for our children.

This book provides a self-contained presentation of the statistical tools required for evaluating public programs, as advocated by many governments, the World Bank, the European Union, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. After introducing the methodological framework of program evaluation, the first chapters are devoted to the collection, elementary description and multivariate analysis of data as well as the estimation of welfare changes. The book then successively presents the tools of ex-ante methods (financial analysis, budget planning, cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness and multi-criteria evaluation) and ex-post methods (benchmarking, experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation). The step-by-step approach and the systematic use of numerical illustrations equip readers to handle the statistics of program evaluation. It not only offers practitioners from public administrations, consultancy firms and nongovernmental organizations the basic tools and advanced techniques used in program assessment, it is also suitable for executive management training, upper undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as for self-study.

This Second Edition of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis continues to provide the most current, step-by-step guide to planning and implementing a cost analysis study. Henry M. Levin and Patrick J. McEwan use detailed and varied examples from studies and articles, ranging from education to public health, to introduce the principles and practice of cost-effectiveness analysis. The authors take account of both the costs and the effects of selecting alternatives, and suggest methods of minimizing the costs of research. New to this edition: expanded coverage of cost effectiveness from types of technique to use, to how to interpret the data; the latest information on cost benefits analysis and how to relate it to outcome measures; in-depth chapter-end exercises to enable readers to sharpen their ability to evaluate policy options and program effectiveness; feedback appendix for readers to evaluate their responses to exercises; comprehensive bibliography of methodological sources on cost analysis and educational settings grouped by category. This thorough volume primes the reader to deal with any evaluation situation by studying cost-effective analysis in relation to cost-benefit analysis, cost-utility analysis, and cost-feasibility analysis.

Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement offers a conceptual and practical introduction to program evaluation and performance measurement for public and non-profit organizations. The authors cover the performance management cycle in organizations, which includes: strategic planning and resource allocation; program and policy design; implementation and management; and the assessment and reporting of results. The Third Edition has been revised to highlight the current economic, political, and socio-demographic context within which evaluators are expected to work, and includes dynamic public policy exemplars such as the evaluation of body-worn police cameras.