The mere fact that a library service is being used does not mean that the service makes a difference or has a positive impact on the user. This has significant implications for Special Library and Information Services (SL&IS) that have to constantly prove that they add value. Because of the difficulty of measuring impact effectively, the…

Available resources and indicators of high quality inclusive practices are presented in this compilation. Assembling many different resources in one place allows for easy comparison of potential indicators of quality. Excerpts and adaptations of the resources are intended to provide some familiarity with the content of each resource and encourage…

This technical report and user's guide is designed to provide researchers with an overview of the design and implementation of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), as well as with information on how to access the PISA 2009 data. This information is meant to supplement that presented in Organization for Economic Cooperation…

Supplemental Educational Services (SES), a federally mandated program, is designed to raise student achievement via the implementation of tutoring programs. Unfortunately, although the SES federal legislation has been adopted by school districts nationally, relatively limited empirical evidence from rigorous research studies exists regarding the…

Community coalitions (CCs) have labored with some difficulty to demonstrate empirical evidence of effectiveness in preventing a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors. Training and technical assistance (TA) have been identified as important elements in promoting improved functioning of CCs. A reliable, valid, and inexpensive method to assess…

Designed to evaluate high school or college writing programs and writing instruction, this instrument includes six different questionnaires that provide information about the foundations of the writing program; teachers' assumptions, goals, and plans; classroom activities as observed by colleagues; the quality of writing assignments; the quality…

This report presents results from an evaluation of a series of workshops on the role and function of the school principal, held in Alberta, Canada in 1983. The workshops were designed to assist school systems in defining the role and function of principals as a step toward developing policies for implementing changes related to the principalship.…

An opinion survey was mailed to former education graduate students in order to assess the effectiveness of an introductory educational research course given at Memphis State University (Tennessee). The purposes of the study were to determine the extent to which the course was helpful to students: (1) in subsequent graduate courses; (2) in their…

This paper draws on three national studies of professional psychology programs to identify measurement and utilization implications for the evaluation of clinical training. The focus is on the evaluation of the training program rather than the evaluation of students' performance/competence. The directors of 315 programs--74 psychology training…

This study examines the general hypothesis that surveys can be used to elicit reliable and valid student ratings of the effectiveness of most aspects of the delivery of the academic programs in which they are enrolled, and reports data on test-retest reliability for upper division majors as well as on the reliability with which ratings…

Quality measures were originally developed for research aimed at describing the settings that children spend time in and identifying the characteristics of these environments that contribute to children's development. They were also developed to guide improvements in practice. Increasingly, however, measures of quality are being used for further…

This study evaluated a social skills training program with 18 deaf children (ages 9 to 13) in mainstream settings in three elementary schools in the Canary Islands. It found the intervention improved students' social problem solving skills and their assertive skills. However, no significant differences in social or academic integration as judged…

A 1984 study of the Seattle Public Schools evaluates the relationship between curriculum practices and academic achievement. The study focused on mathematics curriculum and gathered data through survey questionnaires of elementary, middle, and high school level teachers. Three instruments were used: a school assessment questionnaire, a mathematics…

This extensive revision of a 1975 publication, "Guidelines for the Evaluation of Training Courses, Workshops, and Seminars in Scientific and Technical Information and Documentation," suggests possible approaches to the evaluation of the type of training sessions that might be organized or promoted by Unesco. Guidelines relate to what…

A study examines the influence of a Sunship Earth education program on fifth and sixth grade students (n=578). Results indicate that students who attended the program increased their ecological knowledge significantly. Participation did not result in more positive environmental attitudes. (17 references) (MCO)