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A RAND research team conducted a broad review of the general literature on the assessment of quality and productivity in education and professional development. The team also reviewed the documentation of organizations engaged in such assessment, interviewed experts, attended conferences, and conducted site visits to exemplary organizations. This report synthesizes the information and provides suggestions for approaches that might be useful for agencies given the task of ensuring the quality and productivity of education and professional development activities in a specific system. Assessment, as used in this monograph, means the start-to-finish process of examining quality or productivity, while evaluation is the step in the assessment process in which performance measures are examined, and a judgment about performance is made on the basis of that examination. Regardless of the assessment model selected, the study found that three key steps must be included in any provider or student assessment: (1) identifying goals of the education activities under consideration; (2) measuring the outcomes related to those goals; and (3) evaluating whether the outcomes meet those goals. Each step should be linked to the others, and the process as whole should be driven by the goals. Six appendixes contain supplemental information about the research methodology. (Contains 7 tables, 1 figure, and 137 references.) (SLD)

This digest summarizes the highlights of an analysis of assessment practices used in education and professional development for educators. A research team from RAND conducted a broad review of the literature and reviewed the documents of organizations engaged in such assessments. Researchers interviewed experts, attended conferences, and conducted site visits to exemplary programs. Findings show that the main task of assessment focuses on the quality and productivity of specific providers of education and professional development, but higher-level assessment of the system as a whole was also found to be crucial. The RAND study identified key similarities and differences among approaches to evaluation, and classified them into four models: (1) use of an intermediary organization to review the way individual providers assess their own quality and productivity; (2) actual assessment by an intermediary organization; (3) assessment by providers with no involvement of an intermediary; and (4) a focus on the learner that involves certification of student competencies. Factors that are important in choosing an approach to assessing the quality and productivity of providers were identified, and the advantages to each model were outlined. Regardless of the model selected, the study found that three key steps must be included by any provider of student assessment. The goals of the education activities must be identified, the outcomes related to those goals must be measured, and whether the outcomes met the goals must be evaluated. The literature provides guidelines for providers who want to develop their own evaluation measures. (SLD)

1Poor Little Rich Girl

By Eleanor Gates

The Poor Little Rich Girl is a children’s fantasy about a little girl named Gwendolyn who is lonely and longs for a friend. But she is isolated by rich parents who ignore her and left to the care of servants who are indifferent. Her nanny’s carelessness with some medicine plunges Gwendolyn into a bewildering world in which metaphors literally come to life. (Summary by Susan Umpleby)

2Biography of a Prairie Girl

By Eleanor Gates

This book is a wonderful way to learn about how the prairies were years ago, but you will hardly feel you are learning because you will be caught up with the 'little girl', living with her as she grows up far away from any large city. Very well written, in this book you live, worry, and rejoice, along with the little girl. Whether it is through a prairie fire, raising some interesting and queer pet, having fun at some big prairie-time event, or worming her way out of trouble, the little girl continues to grow, until at the end, you leave, not a little girl, but a young lady stepping into womanhood. - Summary by Trotsa

Three hundred anecdotes and biographical sketches of famous composers and performers. I have attempted to cull from the mass of material that came to my notice such anecdotes as have two features,—that of being characteristic of the person referred to, and that of possessing sufficient interest; and in this re-narration I have incorporated such bits of musical information, along biographical and historical lines, as came to mind at the time of writing, but letting this feature be secondary to the main idea of the work. Thus it is hoped that while my readers may find interesting anecdote, they may also incidentally find that which is of more permanent value. No classification has been made in the body of the work, thus avoiding monotony in a consecutive reading. The indexes furnish ample references. If these narrations awaken a more general interest in musical biography, one purpose of my labor will have been accomplished. - Summary by W. Francis Gates (from the Introduction)

A cute little story about a village where dolls come to life. Along with another story about live dolls. - Summary by Victoria Bell <br><br> Cast for the dramatic reading of The Story of Live Dolls: <br>Crowd 1: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18977">Patty B</a> <br>Crowd 2: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18293">Norah Nelson</a> <br>Janie: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16174">Natalia</a> <br>Mamma: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18721">Penny Coffeen</a> <br>Papa: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8011">Greg Giordano</a> <br>Queen: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/18801">Stunning</a> <br>Dollie: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/3157">TriciaG</a> <br>Doll 1: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17546">Victoria Alice Bell</a> <br>Dinah: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/17559">The Countess</a> <br>Mamma Doll: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6924">Rapunzelina</a> <br>Gardener: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/9835">Elijah Fisher</a> <br>Santa Claus: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8425">Larry Wilson</a> <br>Narrator: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/11463">Anne Fletcher</a><br>