The Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative offers a unique opportunity to conduct large-scale, multisite, multilevel program evaluation in the context of a federal environment that places many requirements and constraints on how the grants are conducted and managed. Federal programs stress performance-based outcomes, valid and reliable…

Out-of-wedlock pregnancy among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa is a major concern, because of its association with health, social, psychological, economic and demographic factors. This article describes the development of the Teenage Mothers Project, a community-based intervention to improve psychological and social well-being of unmarried…

Discusses the role of evaluation both in improving programs and in determining program effects. Explains how to conduct a strong and methodologically rigorous evaluation and discusses additional factors policymakers and practitioners should consider when interpreting the results of home-visiting program evaluations. (SLD)

This theme issue provides a summary of six evaluations of home-visiting models that have been implemented nationally. These model programs represent home-visiting programs across the country that help parents provide children with the best start in life. (SLD)

This technical report describes the computerized information management system used at the Community Care Organization for Dependent Adults (CCODA) of the On Lok Senior Health Services in San Francisco's Chinatown (California). A background perspective on information systems in business, government, hospitals, and local community service agencies…

This paper presents the objectives and results of an experimental program, the Teen Age Medical Service, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The first objective of this program was to experiment with new ways of delivering additional, more extensive, and continuous personal services while maintaining the emergency and episodic services that have…

The evaluation strategy adopted by a rural Ontario (Canada) community health center is described, focusing on problems caused by multiple programs, variable and culturally diverse client base, and nontraditional approaches to health and wellness. The evaluation attempted to give a broad picture of the center's dynamics, processes, and efficacy.…

A life cycle metaphor characterizes the evolving relationship between the evaluator and program staff. This framework suggests that common developmental dynamics occur in roughly the same order across groups and settings. There are stage-specific dynamics that begin with Pre-History, which characterize the relationship between the grantees and…

Describes the expanded school mental health (ESMH) programs that have developed over the past decade. These programs augment existing services provided by schools and help assure that a comprehensive range of services (assessment, prevention, case management, and treatment) are available to youth in special and regular education. Shares…

This introduction to the evaluation component of the Circles of Care initiative includes background on the nature of the initiative, Center for Mental Health Services support for developing systems of care for youth with emotional disturbances, and an overview of the systems of care approach. The prevalence, unique challenges, and the historical,…

Synthesizes results from four evaluations of the PATCH (Planned Approach to Community Health) program. Two examined multiple state and community programs, one examined one state, and one reviewed methods and materials of state and local coordinators. The article discusses specific recommendations for conducting PATCH and Centers for Disease…

In January 1995, the nursing program at St. Petersburg Junior College (SPJC), in Florida, undertook a project to enable nursing students to move from hospital- to community-based practice. Specifically, the project sought to establish partnerships with the health care agencies and facilities in the community, develop a community-based health care…

Describes the culturally sophisticated community mobilization and educational strategies used to develop, implement, and evaluate a cholesterol education, screening, and referral intervention that effectively elicited the participation of underserved African Americans traditionally unresponsive to such efforts. The paper presents recommendations…

A series of mini courses in the basics of management, information systems, and personnel, the workshop was developed for tribal health program managers. The workshop aimed to provide: supervisory management training which was relevant to the need of tribal health supervisors; demonstrable evidence of understanding and application of new skills;…

The required first-year clerkship in family and community medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is discussed. The goals and objectives and the teaching methods used to implement the program are described. It is suggested that community medicine clerkships belong in the first year of the curriculum. (Author/MLW)