Sociology research methods students in 2013 and 2016 implemented a series of "real world" data gathering activities that enhanced their learning while assisting the department with ongoing program assessment and program review. In addition to the explicit collection of program assessment data on both students' development of sociological…

This paper presents a quasi-experimental evaluation of a required, teaching-focused, new faculty program at a large research university. The study makes use of institutional data, including student evaluations of teaching and faculty participation in educational development activities, which are available on many campuses yet rarely used in…

In April 2006, the Michigan State Board of Education and Michigan Legislatures adopted a rigorous package of high school graduation requirements, one of which made Michigan the first state that incorporated an online learning graduation requirement into the K-12 curriculum. All Michigan's students entering high school during 2008-2009 school year…

RELAX: Alternatives to Anger is an educational anger management program that helps adults understand and manage anger, develop communication skills, manage stress, and make positive behavioral changes in their interpersonal relationships. A sample of 1,168 evaluation surveys were collected from RELAX: Alternatives to Anger participants over 3…

We report on an effectiveness evaluation of the Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES) program. YES applies empowerment theory to an after-school program for middle school students. YES is an active learning curriculum designed to help youth gain confidence in themselves, think critically about their community, and work with adults to create positive…

Although the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 created new instructional intervention practices, reading and writing scores across K-12 and postsecondary levels continue to reflect stagnant achievement outcomes. The research questions in this study concerned the effect of a northern Michigan middle school language arts…

In October 2010, WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) won an i3 "Validation" grant to scale up and validate the Reading Apprenticeship (RA) model in three core secondary content area classes: U.S. history, biology, and English language arts. SLI's proposal stated two goals. Goal 1: To transform academic literacy teaching and…

This study reports on a district-wide research-based professional development (PD) that included 207 teachers and administrators. Data were collected from pre/post surveys, content analysis of the participants' wiki pages, and a follow-up questionnaire. Findings indicate that participants significantly improved their foundational and technical…

Using a quasiexperimental design, the authors examine whether fourth- and fifth-grade students exposed to a developmental physical education (PE) curriculum, Michigan's Exemplary Physical Education Curriculum (EPEC), demonstrated stronger motor skill--specific self-efficacy and perceptions of physical activity competence, physical activity levels,…

The educational achievement and attainment of young people in the United States has been a long-standing issue of concern. While analyses of long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that students in the United States have made gains in reading and mathematics over the past few decades, a sizeable…

The State and Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972 was shaped by a decade of discussion and compromise. Under the Act, federal funds have been disbursed to all State and local general purpose governments from 1972 through 1976. This legislation has been renewed without major revision. The principal focus of this work is an evaluation of the…

This paper is a report of an evaluation study conducted on Michigan's State-funded compensatory education program. For the 1971-72 school year, the legislature appropriated $22,500,000 in an effort to raise the achievement levels of disadvantaged children in reading and mathematics. Approximately 112,000 kindergarten through sixth grade pupils in…

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the degree to which school revenue equity has been improved by changing the state aid funding systems of Illinois, Michigan, and Kansas from foundation systems to power equalization systems. Chapter 1 contains the general background and rationale of the study, evaluative criteria, and definitions…

This study reports the impact of the Flint Community Junior College (Michigan) reading improvement program on 150 participating students in terms of general group and racial sub-group (black and white) performance. After the groups were compared according to race and ability for data-collecting purposes, pre- and post-test measurements were taken…

Funded under ESEA Title I, this program was designed to provide income and work experience for disadvantaged junior high school youths age fourteen and above; and, to provide incentives which would motivate youths to continue their education through high school. The wages earned were intended to enable the student to provide for some of his…