Data from the Sustaining Effects Study were used to investigate the impact of attrition. Four types of analyses were conducted: estimation of attrition rate by project, estimation of bias by project, prediction of bias at the project level, and estimation of bias associated with alternative aggregation procedures. Effects of attrition varied with…

A brief history of Title I evaluation efforts in Chicago illustrates the concern that the evaluation of Title I programs must serve two masters: the federal reporting mandate and local needs. (PN)

Presents a synthesis of what is known about Title I schoolwide programs, focusing on characteristics of schools and districts implementing schoolwide programs, programmatic and organizational characteristics of the programs, and evidence of program effectiveness. Cautions in interpreting the evaluation findings are presented, and educational…

This paper shows how several of Cook and Gruder's meta-evaluation models have been applied in the national evaluation of Project Follow Through. Participants in the evaluation are identified, their roles are described, and the degree to which these roles map onto the meta-evaluation models is assessed. (Author/BW)

Meta-analytic techniques were used to study the overall impact of the Title I program on student achievement and to examine the effects of mediating methodological and programmatic factors. Data from 17 Federal studies with 657 effect sizes indicate a modest impact of Title I that increased as the program matured. (SLD)

The internal validity of the RMC models, especially Model A, is examined. Concern centers on limiting evaluation to cognitive outcomes, using constant percentile as the no-treatment expectation, and using norms for one test to establish the expected no-treatment performance level for another test. (MH)

Review of congressional hearings leading to the enactment of the Education Amendments of 1974 (Public Law 93-380), the initial response of the United States Office of Education, and the study conducted by the National Institute of Education as mandated in Section 821 of PL 93-380. (MH)

A liberal interpretation of Section 151 of Public Law 93-380, to implement effective local evaluation of Title I programs, is supported. Weaknesses are cited: (1) nationwide impact data, (2) unsound aggregation of Title I achievement gains, and (3) lack of consideration of alternative evaluation methods. (MH)

A detailed and critical analysis of the evaluation of the Follow Through program is presented. The history, critical decisions, and politics of the evaluation are examined. (JKS)

The RMC models for Title I program evaluations involve too large an expenditure of effort in relation to the information needs of the federal government. Too little is being done to ensure the usefulness of the models at state and local levels. (MH)

Seven considerations in designing the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System are reviewed: satisfying state, local, and federal needs; summative evaluation; differences in Title I subprograms; local use of different achievement tests; comparative analysis data; use of approved evaluation designs; and use of a common reporting metric. (MH)

Describes developments in the fields of learning theory, assessment, and politics of national and state assessments. Shows how use of these developments and modern assessment and evaluation methodologies can address some long-standing problems in Chapter 1 evaluation. Focuses on linking classroom and school improvement with Chapter 1 program…

Case studies describe the changes occurring in a large urban school system following passage of the Hawkins Stafford Amendments allowing the use of Chapter 1 funding in schoolwide projects (SWPs) in schools where 75 percent or more of students are economically disadvantaged. The potential of SWPs is discussed. (SLD)

The schoolwide project option of the 1988 Hawkins Stafford Amendments to Chapter 1 allowed a rural school serving a disadvantaged Native American population to restructure its compensatory and regular education services. Santo Domingo school (New Mexico) illustrates the ways modifications of federal law and policy benefit children. (SLD)

Effects of the federal compensatory education policy on the capacity of schools to deliver high-quality services to poor children is examined with a focus on federal assessment of Chapter 1 programs. Alternatives are suggested to improve evaluation usefulness in building organizational capacity by moving beyond a sole focus on student outcomes.…