With an annual yearly growth rate of 9.3 percent over the last two decades, Advanced Placement courses have become a juggernaut in American high school education. AP courses are routinely perceived as an indicator of educational rigor, and many schools push to enroll low-income or minority students in these courses in the hope of preparing them…

This document presents the full report of a study of 66 colleges that agreed to use the author's cost-effectiveness strategy. Drawing on real-life examples, it is shown how other colleges can use cost analysis to bring expenditures in line with income. Necessary data collection forms and comparative tables that make implementation an uncomplicated…

"Childhood Programs and Practices in the First Decade of Life" presents research findings on the effects of early childhood programs and practices in the first decade of life and their implications for policy development and reform. Leading scholars in the multidisciplinary field of human development and in early childhood learning…

The case records of 348 homebound clients receiving vocational rehabilitation services from the New York State Homebound Rehabilitation Program were examined to explore attributes of homebound applicants, their rehabilitation experiences, and program outcomes. Data was summarized for characteristics which included age, most common major…

This self-study book concentrates on enabling trainers to talk and think in a business-related way, use business concepts and terminology, and translate training and development ideas into a business setting. Each part contains activities to enable users to study their training and development function and organization and consider how to use the…

Veterans' policies and programs are examined by a task force of the Twentieth Century Fund. Part 1, the report of the task force, includes sections on the rationale for veterans benefits, recommendations for further benefits and programs, and a dissenting opinion by one task force member. Recommendations are summarized into five basic areas: (1)…

Social-emotional competence--it is a critical part of every child's school success, and just like any academic subject, children need instruction in it. Developed by a top expert, these proven curricula will help promote the social-emotional competence and resilience of children and adolescents. Divided into four age levels from kindergarten…

This book is the culmination of extensive discussion among a panel of economists led by Eric A. Hanushek. The panel argues that improvement of schools depends more on better uses of resources than on the provision of added funds. The book outlines a plan to improve school performance without increasing expenditures. Specifically, it calls for more…

This study quantified the benefits to children and parents participating in nine early intervention programs and conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the Perry Preschool and the Elmira Prenatal/Early Infancy Project (PEIP). The findings indicated that early intervention programs led to the following advantages for program participants relative to…

This book reviews the effectiveness of job training programs in the United States, concentrating on the most recent and most sophisticated evaluations. Chapter 1 identifies seven differences between education and job training. Chapter 2 describes the types of job training programs that are examined. Chapter 3 outlines the preferred methodology in…

This essay reviews the current status of private independent junior colleges in the United States. Several studies and innovative programs are cited. Because private junior colleges face shrinking enrollments and diminished funding for instruction, services, and activities, they must now stress cost-effectiveness and practical financial management…

This report assesses the cost effectiveness of several crime prevention strategies that involve early intervention in the lives of people at risk of pursuing a criminal career. Four different approaches are examined: (1) home visits by child care professionals beginning before birth and extending through the first 2 years of life, followed by 4…

This book helps educators produce assessments of their schools' drug and violence prevention programs. It contains over 30 separate resources that can be adapted to specific evaluations (e.g., sample youth and adult participant feedback sheets, sample classroom observation sheets and teacher implementation logs, sample en-route participant…

This text gives an overview of distance education for students, administrators, and practitioners in distance education. Chapter 1 discusses the study of distance education. Chapter 2 analyzes forms of nonconventional education (open, nontraditional) that may have similarities to distance education but are not to be identified with it. Chapter 3…

This book on evaluating social programs is an outcome of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Evaluation Design Project, which produced a set of 10 guides for the evaluation of state and local JTPA programs. This book distills ideas from these guides and applies them to a larger context. Part 1 presents a general approach to program evaluation…