Assumptions at the philosophical and programmatic levels in evaluation.

Stakeholders and evaluators hold a variety of levels of assumptions at the philosophical, methodological, and programmatic levels. The use of a transformative philosophical framework is presented as a way for evaluators to become more aware of the implications of various assumptions made by themselves and program stakeholders. The argument is examined and demonstrated that evaluators who are aware of the assumptions that underlie their evaluation choices are able to provide useful support for stakeholders in the examination of the assumptions they hold with regard to the nature of the problem being addressed, the program designed to solve the problem, and the approach to evaluation that is appropriate in that context.

Master teachers' responses to twenty literacy and science/mathematics practices in deaf education.

Under a grant to improve outcomes for students who are deaf or hard of hearing awarded to the Association of College Educators--Deaf/Hard of Hearing, a team identified content that all teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing must understand and be able to teach. Also identified were 20 practices associated with content standards (10 each, literacy and science/mathematics). Thirty-seven master teachers identified by grant agents rated the practices on a Likert-type scale indicating the maximum benefit of each practice and maximum likelihood that they would use the practice, yielding a likelihood-impact analysis.

Wound care of the pediatric burn patient.

Pediatric burn care requires an extensive knowledge of the pathophysiology of burns. Critical to a positive patient outcome is the correlation of burn size and depth with appropriate fluid administration, respiratory management, nutritional support, and wound care. Due to the nature of the injury where patients' recovery times are lengthy, consideration of the child's psychosocial needs must also be part of the total plan of care.