For researchers seeking to improve education, a common goal is to identify teaching practices that have causal benefits in classroom settings. To test whether an instructional practice exerts a causal influence on an outcome measure, the most straightforward and compelling method is to conduct an experiment. While experimentation is common in…

This paper reviews the use of multiple trials, defined as multiple sites or multiple arms in a single evaluation and replications, in evaluating social programs. After defining key terms, the paper discusses the rationales for conducting multiple trials, which include increasing sample size to increase statistical power; identifying the most…

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…

A circuit that can be constructed by students as an experiment or by the teacher for demonstration, produces signals that can be seen on a screen and heard through an amplifier. (GB)

Wood pyrolysis is a process that burns wood without air, producing gas and oil that are then burned for heat. Now being tested at Maryville College, Tennessee, the process is expected to cut fuel costs, solve a waste disposal problem, and produce charcoal for sale. (Author/MLF)

Supported by research grants MH-07003 and MH-11521 from the National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Public Health Service.

EIGHTEEN DEMONSTRATIONS ON THE SUBJECT OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ARE PRESENTED. THESE DEMONSTRATIONS UTILIZE SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT AND ARE SUITABLE FOR CLASSROOM OR OTHER GROUP USE, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE DESIGNED FOR 4-H CLUBS. LISTED ARE THE EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS NEEDED, PREVIOUS PREPARATION, STEPS IN THE DEMONSTRATION, AND…

The 11 programs and sites participating in the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Intensive Supervision Demonstration Project are described. The demonstration was designed to assess the effects and costs of sentencing convicted felons to community-based programs. The evaluation by the Rand Corporation and data collection methods and random…

Last May the Office of Education organized a list of pamphlet material under the title "Public Affairs Pamphlets." While this tabulation was prepared primarily to meet the needs of the 10 public forum demonstrations then organizing programs of public discussion, it was widely used by libraries, forums of all kinds, social science teachers and…

This bulletin has been prepared in response to many hundreds of requests for information about public affairs forums. It is impossible in such limited space to give a comprehensive description of the forum method of adult civic education or its application in various parts of the country. However, the authors have tried to include in the bulletin…