The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) mandates that its Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) and Institutional Development Award Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) institute formal mentoring programs to promote the core program objective of junior investigator development. Despite this NIGMS…

The Striving Readers program aimed to raise the literacy levels of middle and high school students reading below grade level and to build a strong research base on effective adolescent literacy interventions. This report summarizes the results of a systematic review of evaluations of the ten different interventions funded by the Striving Readers…

Career and technical education (CTE) is increasingly seen as a major potential contributor to the recovery of the U.S. economy. However, the effectiveness and impact of the current Carl D. Perkins Act (otherwise known as Perkins IV) that governs CTE are unclear. Is the federal investment in CTE paying off? To answer this, we need to establish the…

In state needs assessment meetings held in late June 2008, the leadership of two Central Region state departments of education, South Dakota and Missouri, asked Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central to determine how the states in the region evaluate their supplemental educational service (SES) providers. Specifically, these SEA staff…

This document presents a summary of the goals and activities suggested for external evaluation teams for Kansas high schools. The total evaluation process has three parts. First the school engages in a long and comprehensive self-study, which produces data reflecting the faculty's own perception of the school. This is followed by an intensive two-…

This supplemental issue deals with local and state evaluation issues and methods. It includes articles on Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) follow-up, responsiveness to client needs, performance standards, training JTPA professionals in evaluation, and Private Industry Councils' selection of program deliverers. (JOW)

The purpose of the study was to ascertain what evaluation practices were being utilized for vocational programs and also to apply a cost-effectiveness model to four program areas offered in Kansas area vocational-technical (VT) schools. Cost and benefit data for the study were obtained from the Kansas State Department of Education, Vocational…

Suspecting that two-year public colleges are more committed to instructional media programs than four-year institutions and that higher educational institutions in general are lacking in commitment to media programs, the author surveyed thirty-four Kansas colleges and universities by using the Evaluative Checklist for Self-Evaluating an…

The 1992-93 analysis of the Kansas Chapter 1 evaluation results is described. In the 1992-93 school year, 100 percent (304) of Kansas districts participated in the Chapter 1 program. Approximately 7 percent of the student population participated in Chapter 1 programs, and 82 percent were in grades 1 through 6. A majority of these students were…

This guide, designed to help school staff members evaluate their testing programs, may apply to district-wide or state-wide programs. The four sections contain: forms to be completed of current testing inventory; a form covering the organizational and administrative details of the local testing program; an evaluation form dealing with the…

A study was conducted to ascertain the level of sophistication of the educational media programs in the unified public school districts of Kansas. It was hoped that the resulting data would enable public school administrators to accurately evaluate their programs and to improve the total educational media program in their systems. Using the survey…

The master's degree is discussed in seven papers written by academic officers serving state coordinating and governing boards. In "Toward a New Paradigm," Judith S. Glazer considers changes in the master's degree and suggests that the degree is changing to meet student needs, the job market, and external standards. Martine F. Hammond's…

This year the Center on Education Policy analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps between…

"The Politics and Process of Evaluation and Decision Making in the Schools: The Shawnee Mission, Kansas, Experience" and "Use of National Assessment Model for Classroom Evaluation" were two papers presented at the Regional Conference of the National Council for the Social Studies. The first paper concerned the development of an…

This report on vocational education in Kansas covers the following four areas: evaluation of programs, services, and activities proposed in the state plan for the year under review; analysis of policies for distribution of Federal funds; review of the state's evaluation activities; and assessment of the extent to which employment and training…