The majority of states have laws in place that require teacher evaluations and many states are tying teacher evaluations and teacher effectiveness to tenure and dismissal policies. Historically, the teacher evaluation process has been conducted by the school principal and has commonly been disconnected from the teacher development processes that…

Since professional learning is about shifting adult mindsets and behavior, it is work that frequently challenges assumptions, expectations, beliefs, instructional practices, and long-standing habits. To have meaningful and productive conversations about evaluation and data, educators must be equipped with effective practices and tools that allow…

One key objective of California's Statewide Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Student Mental Health (SMH) initiative funded under Proposition 63 was to establish a formal process for ongoing collaboration between higher education systems and county mental health, and to increase collaboration among higher education campuses to improve…

Several years ago, when the author was associate dean in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, a new senior administrator on campus expressed the view that one of their premier first-year experience programs in the college was too expensive and that a different model, based on an approach taken at the administrator's previous…

The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools' consistently positive impacts on student achievement (detailed in Volume I of this report) have prompted efforts to scale up the KIPP model to serve more students. According to the KIPP model, highly qualified and autonomous principals, supported by national and regional staff, drive the…

High-quality child care is related to children's positive developmental outcomes. One way to increase quality of care is to provide training to child care providers. This study used assessment-based training to determine if overall quality of care in center-based preschools could be enhanced. Participants were recruited from six center-based child…

Evaluators face challenges when programs consistently fail to meet expectations for performance or improvement and consequently, evaluators may recommend that closing a program is the most prudent course of action. However, the evaluation literature provides little guidance regarding when an evaluator might recommend program closure. Given…

Early care and education can prepare children for school, but while some preschool and child care programs do an excellent job, others are inadequate and some may even harm healthy development. This study focuses on child care center directors to better understand why there is so much variation, and how public initiatives can better help…

This program is a model of individualization in which participants select components based on individual needs. Each component includes a performance criterion test, a statement of learning objectives, various learning options, and a variety of carefully selected resource materials. The major objective of the program is to demonstrate a teacher…

All 97 special Education Local Plan Area directors throughout California are now conducting local evaluation studies to answer local quesions to improve their own programs and respond to questions of statewide concern. (Author)

This report evaluates the value and success of an Institute Program in human relations for educators and administrators in Los Angeles, California. Specific objectives include: (1) determining the overall value of the Institute to participant administrators; (2) determining the specific strengths and weaknesses of the Summer Institute Program;…

A guide designed to assist any California community college in objective self-appraisal of its occupational education programs is presented. It is divided into two volumes. This volume provides the data necessary for an understanding of COPES, the procedures for its application, and time guidelines for scheduling its use. COPES is an acronym for…

This publication offers a checklist for identifying strengths and weaknesses of school health programs. The instrument can be used by school personnel, community members, or by an outside team of experts. Criteria are expressed in terms of desirable practices, with provisions for judging, on a five-point scale, the extent to which program…

One of the author's first assessment experiences at California State University, Sacramento, began when she was assigned to teach a graduate-level program evaluation research course in the Division of Criminal Justice. The chair of the assessment committee and the division chair approached her with the idea of conducting an assessment of the…

The Association of California Community College Administrators' Management Development Institute was established in 1977 to provide workshop consultants and services for professional development activities. In 1979, a survey was conducted to determine whether the needs of the colleges were being met. Of the 105 California community college…