The Success By 6® (SB6) initiative is designed to support early care and education centers in improving and sustaining quality in Pennsylvania's Keystone STARS Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). The SB6 evaluation report examines implementation and outcomes. The findings have implications for SB6 continous quality improvement process…

The purpose of this study is to extend the work of Spybrook and Raudenbush (2009) and examine how the research designs and sample sizes changed from the planning phase to the implementation phase in the first wave of studies funded by IES. The authors examine the impact of the changes in terms of the changes in the precision of the study from the…

The purpose of this study was to explore the manner in which a community college district planned to implement a systematic outcomes-based assessment program review process in order to have results inform institutional, district, and state policy discussions. Data derived from this grounded theory study indicated that there was not a shared…

This qualitative study identified key factors associated with exemplar service-learning programs at six community colleges across the United States. The purpose of this case study was to determine why these programs have sustained over time and to better understand how administrators and faculty meet shifting demands for service-learning. The…

Research has shown that low graduation rates are a problem in high schools across the United States. The problem is significant at a small, inner-city charter high school in a southwestern US state that had a 2008 graduation rate of 34%. After assessing the situation, educators at this school developed the Credit Retrieval Program (CRP) to help…

The internationalization of distance learning in special education is at a pivotal point in expansion. Even with concerted efforts through traditional means to increase the supply of special educators, shortages persist; therefore, teacher preparation programs are turning to online education. This dissertation study was a formative program…

Objective: This study evaluated the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now's (ACORN) efforts to increase the uptake of families claiming the earned income tax credit through door-to-door canvassing and managing free tax preparation clinics in three pilot cities. Method: The mixed-method program evaluation included administrative…

Employing a split-half design, this research examines the effects of prior letters, in conjunction with a follow-up telephone survey, on three factors affecting evaluation results: contact rates, response rates, and respondent cooperation. Prior letters did not increase contact, improve cooperation, or decrease refusals. (Author/LMO)

The concept of "preevaluative research" is examined in the context of a museum exhibition evaluation. It is viewed as distinct from an evaluability assessment. The exhibit preevaluative study indicates that instrumentation and implementation issues are likely to benefit from such activities, but that design and analysis may suffer.…

This paper presents a multifaceted approach for investigating the impact of the Success for All (SFA) program on children's reading proficiency. The approach advocated features case study research and uses document analysis, structured observation, interviews, and questionnaires to collect data. The research design was successfully field tested in…

A repeated measures design was used to assess the effects of a methadone maintenance program in several California locations. Subjects were 720 Chicano and Anglo men and women participating in rehabilitation programs for heroin addicts. The subjects were interviewed between 1978-1981, and the average follow-up time after initial treatment was 4-6…

This paper examines the educational impacts of the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative (BWLI), a pilot program that provided 1:1 technology access to all students and teachers across five public and private middle schools in western Massachusetts. Using a pre/post comparative study design, the current study explores a wide range of program…

An internal evaluation was carried out on the governing procedures of the Center for Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the spring semester, 1985-86. The evaluation focused on the major governance committee within the Center (the Center Executive Committee) and its relationship with the two other forms of…

This document provides a copy of the materials submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to obtain clearance for instruments used in a study funded by the Administration for Children, Youth and Families. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of the educational services component of Head Start and the Basic Educational…

This report, the fourth in a series of evaluations for Home Start planners and administrators, presents an analysis of the Home Start program operation during the fall of 1973 and a description of the data base being developed for the forthcoming cost-effects analysis. The first chapter is an executive summary of the interim findings and future…