Use of demonstration plots showcasing native forbs and grasses in public greenspaces or along well-traveled paths can be helpful in increasing awareness of beneficial plant species. Signage can be used as an educational delivery method--such as that used in arboretums and museums--to bring awareness of the importance of biodiversity, pollinators,…

This article describes lessons learned about implementing evaluations in hospital settings. In order to overcome the methodological dilemmas inherent in this environment, we used a practical participatory evaluation (P-PE) strategy to engage as many stakeholders as possible in the process of evaluating a clinical demonstration project.…

Critics complain that the educational leadership researchers have not produced evidence that demonstrates that principal preparation programs affect student achievement. This study addressed this complaint by focusing on the impact of one exemplary program on graduates and the schools they led. The preponderance-of-evidence strategy used in this…

This article explores distinctive features of a 5-year international education development project set in rural northern Peru (PROMEB, the "Proyecto de Mejoramiento de la Educacion Basica"). Grounded within a partnership between teacher educators from Peru, Mexico and Canada, and rural Peruvian teachers, students and their communities,…

For more than two decades the U.S. Department of Education has supported campus- and community-based prevention programs through a number of programs and activities. For example, in 1987 the Department convened the first annual National Meeting for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention in Higher Education as a forum to disseminate…

In this article, the authors describe a case in which school district officials used state regulations for new teacher mentoring programs as justification to cut funding and incrementally dismantle a model program. (Contains 1 table.)

Although random assignment is generally the preferred methodology in impact evaluations, it raises numerous ethical concerns, some of which are addressed by securing participants' informed consent. However, there has been little investigation of how consent is obtained in social experiments and the amount of information that can be conveyed--and…

Family Group Decision Making (FGDM), also known as Family Group Conferencing, is a process that brings together extended family networks--aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, and friends--to make important decisions that might otherwise be made by professionals. Prior to a FGDM conference, a facilitator engages extended family members and…

Research Findings: Integrated services for young children and families are part of the new policy landscape in early childhood, but there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of these programs and how they develop on the ground. This study examined the use of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as both a summative program evaluation tool…

Reviews the historical context of core journal lists, current uses in collection assessment, and existing methodologies for creating lists. Outlines two next generation core list projects developing new methodologies and integrating novel information/data sources to improve precision: a national-level core psychology list and the other a local…

This article explores the statistical methodologies used in demonstration and effectiveness studies when the treatments are applied across multiple settings. The importance of evaluating and how to evaluate these types of studies are discussed. As an alternative to standard methodology, the authors of this article offer an empirical binomial…

Meeting the diverse needs of young people who are coping with such problems as delinquent behaviors or poor academic performance is an urgent issue today. This paper aims to demonstrate the benefits of introducing intergenerational mentoring activities into educational programs for supporting "at risk" adolescents by highlighting some innovative…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this guide to provide advice, ideas, and inspiration to teachers, school administrators, and others for planning a hands-on environmental day at school. Many of the tips and ideas in this guide come from "Make a Difference Day" events supported by EPA. EPA launched its "Make a…

One of a series of documents on the evaluation of the National Home Start (NHS) program this third year interim report of case studies describes program efforts and successes with 16 Home Start families throughout the nation. A federally funded demonstration program, NHS is aimed at providing home-based services (such as health, education,…

This study reports on one of the knowledge development activities conducted under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of l977 (YEDPA). The report contains findings of an analysis of nine YEDPA projects and the factors that contributed to effective implementation of these programs. The study compares discrete projects with different…