For decades, most states have made a practice of giving citizens returning from prison or jail a small amount of money, called "gate money," to cover the cost of transportation and other immediate needs. Many legislatures have considered increasing the dollar amount of their cash assistance and offering this kind of support more widely.…

The social sector's hottest "impact investing" product--the social impact bond (SIB)--has generated a range of reactions, from excitement to angst. An SIB uses private funds to pay for a social, educational, or health program, and the government repays investors (plus a return) only if the program achieves prespecified results. The…

The objectives of this systematic review were to summarize the available evidence on the effects of prevention and intervention programs aimed at primary and secondary students for increasing school completion or reducing school dropout. The primary focus of the meta-analysis was to examine the comparative effectiveness of different programs and…

The replication of proven social programs is a cost-effective and efficient way to achieve large-scale, positive social change. Yet there has been little guidance available about how to approach program replication and limited development of systems--at local, state or federal levels--to support replication efforts. "Laying a Solid Foundation:…

Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of two alternate forms of Family Connections (FC), a child neglect prevention program, in relation to changes in risk and protective factors and improvements in child safety and behavioral outcomes. Methods: In the original FC study, a sample of 154 families (473 children) in a poor, urban neighborhood,…

Children's exposure to violence (CEV)--including direct child maltreatment, witnessing domestic violence, and witnessing community and school violence--can have serious consequences, including a variety of psychiatric disorders and behavioral problems, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Fortunately, research has shown…

In 2000, the California State Legislature passed the Schiff-Cardenas Crime Prevention Act, which authorized funding for county juvenile-justice programs and designated the Corrections Standards Authority (CSA) (formerly named the Board of Corrections) the administrator of funding. A 2001 California Senate bill extended the funding and changed the…

The digest presents the background and reasons for early intervention with children at risk for handicaps. Early intervention is defined, and three primary reasons for intervention are cited: (1) to enhance the child's development, (2) to provide support and assistance to the family, and (3) to maximize the child's and family's benefit to society.…

Early retirement plans are perceived as being beneficial to school staff and financially advantageous to schools. Four out of the five assumptions on which these perceptions are based are incorrect. The one correct assumption is that early retirement will make affirmative action programs move ahead more rapidly. The incorrect assumptions are: (1)…

Offers suggestions for spending staff development money effectively. Ideas include the following: (1) keep your money close to the classroom; (2) use consultants to train your own trainers; (3) beware of embarking on numerous small-scale reforms; and (4) beware of pressure to copy other school improvement methods. (CJH)

Educators must think clearly about how they want students' education to improve, what computers can do to help, how that assistance can be accomplished, and whether any of this is affordable. (Author/JM)

Outstanding cost-reduction programs implemented at colleges and universities during calendar year 1987 are recognized. Each of the 54 award-winning ideas is described in a paragraph-length program summary. Although some aspects of programs may be unique to a particular institution, creative administrators are challenged to tailor the programs to…

Successful school food service programs require cooperation between employees and students and between the director and individual managers. Student participation can be increased by the use of marketing techniques and listening to students' requests. (MLF)

Defines productivity as the ratio of outputs to inputs. Describes ways of using productivity measures in comparing instructional approaches, program implementations, and longitudinal trends. Offers cautions about potential misinterpretations of productivity comparisons, using a hypothetical analysis of the productivity of four specific…

Before colleges and universities can take advantage of the full potential of information technology (IT) to improve administration, they must be able to measure its value and justify adoption. A "return on management" methodology links IT, managerial, and organizational performance to assess management value added, thus relative productivity, of…