Systematic evaluation is an essential tool for understanding program effectiveness. This article describes the pilot test of a statewide evaluation tool for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed). A computer algorithm helped Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) build surveys specific to their varied educational settings…

If education in Indiana is to dramatically improve, the systems and policies that collectively shape the learning experiences for students must be re-imagined. In the spring of 2011, the Indiana legislature passed IC 20-28-11.5, a new law relating to the evaluation of all certified teaching staff and administrators. Prior to this legislation,…

This report describes Maryland's latest approaches to dealing with restructuring schools and other schools in NCLB improvement. Information for this report was obtained between September 2008 and January 2009 from interviews with Maryland State Department of Education officials and with administrators in three Maryland districts: Anne Arundel…

The Consolidated Child Care Pilot Projects were established by the Colorado General Assembly in 1997, and designed to help local communities to address critical needs for full-day, full-year child care services in partnership with welfare reform. This report describes the context for the project, details the pilot programs, and profiles the 12…

An introductory section providing background information on the Virginia Department of Education's (VaDOE) pilot education project for 4-year-olds is followed by discussion of the project and its evaluation. Discussion also concerns the forms of collaboration that are likely to increase the use of data by three classes of information users,…

The 2005 Washington State Legislature authorized, through Substitute House Bill 1345, a two-year pilot project allowing eligible students, who enroll for four or five credits in a term, to receive the State Need Grant (SNG). Several important policy considerations emerged during the pilot project. Board staff explored these issues with financial…

Noting that prevention is the key to healthy development of the youngest children in Illinois, the Birth to Three Project is working to develop a comprehensive, coordinated system of services for expecting families and children under 3 years of age. This progress report details the first year implementation of the All Our Kids (AOK): Birth to…

In 1988, the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations commissioned an outside evaluation of the School Career Development Pilot Program initiated in 1985. The evaluator's major responsibilities were to assess the operation of the 15 pilot programs, and to make recommendations about the future of the Career Development Program (CDP).…

Outlines the findings of a qualitative and primarily formative evaluation of Louisiana's Networking Infrastructures for Education pilot program to help develop a statewide educational technology network. This evaluation primarily focused on efforts to incorporate Internet applications for math and science curriculum in elementary and secondary…

This legislative report presents the results of a pilot project conducted in eight suburban California school districts as part of an effort to develop a testing program identifying kindergartners with potential reading problems. The project was also intended to evaluate the program's effectiveness and gauge the feasibility of statewide…

The case study of a school involved in a pilot study of the use of a state-mandated teacher evaluation system as a tool for professional development is presented. Eight principles that can be used to guide future school improvement efforts grounded in classroom-based assessments of teaching and learning are identified. (SLD)

In March 1995, the Mississippi State Department of Education implemented the Home Ties program as a 5-year pilot program at five sites, using federal funds made available through a sub-grant from the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) and matching funds appropriated by the Mississippi legislature. The program provided intensive,…

Six papers discuss the Louisiana School Effectiveness and Assistance Pilot (SEAP) program, an ongoing 3-year research project associated with a legislatively mandated school and district accountability program. In three phases, the project joins school indicators, school effectiveness, and school improvement initiatives. The following papers are…

In 1988, whether the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)--the "Nation's Report Card"--could become a report card for the states was studied. A trial assessment program was authorized to determine whether state assessments following the NAEP format could produce reliable and useful estimates of educational progress. This…

In fall 1992, the Iowa Department of Education began pilot tests of the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS), an assessment system evaluating reading, math, and problem solving in a life skills context for adult remedial programs. This document provides reports from the nine community colleges that served as test sites, describing…