Decades of research suggest that both Head Start and public pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs boost low-income preschoolers' kindergarten skills. What is not yet well understood is whether there are relative advantages of transitioning from Head Start after 1 year into a school-based public pre-k program for the year immediately before…

Poor-quality classroom and school contexts may impede the academic and behavioral adjustment of low-income students when they transition into kindergarten. Several studies have examined the impact of teacher-student interactions on student progress, whereas others have explored the impact of school-level adversity (e.g., student poverty, school…

In 1998, Congress authorized the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) program. The purpose of the program is to foster increased knowledge, expectations, and preparation for postsecondary education among low-income students and their families. GEAR UP projects may provide services to students, parents and…

This paper examines the issues arising when a set of federally funded model demonstration projects, the secondary curricula/student transition projects of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, were obligated by federal initiative to improve the amount, quality, and use of evaluation. These issues included: (1) the nature of…

This paper reviews issues related to transition services to meet the postsecondary needs of individuals with disabilities. It focuses on follow-up and outcome studies, identification and analysis of best practices in transition, policy research, and analyses of applications for federally funded model demonstration projects. (JDD)

This article summarizes intervention activities and participant outcomes from a five-year federally funded project that prepared students with learning disabilities for transition to postsecondary education. Project participants demonstrated higher first-year postsecondary retention rates than the student population and gained skills in many…

In Spring 2007, the State Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges awarded the Transfer Leadership Center (TLC) study to investigate two-to-four year transfer practices and strategies. As part of the study's qualitative component, research teams from the Center for Student Success of the Research & Planning Group of the…

A study was conducted to review local Title VII evaluation and improvement practices, focusing on local Transitional Bilingual Education and Special Alternative Projects. This final report summarizes the findings of the study, and includes a separate report on 18 case studies of evaluation systems of local Title VII grantees. The study reviewed…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined the transition assistance programs offered by each military branch and their effectiveness. Data were gathered from the following sources: (1) program descriptions and administrative data; (2) structured group interviews with approximately 70 service members who had participated in the transition…

Information is presented on selected projects funded by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), including projects which present promising practices or effective strategies and/or were intended for national information dissemination. The categories of projects are as follows: services/programs for the deaf/blind, early intervention,…

To assess the effectiveness of the Trade Adjustment Assistance and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Transitional Adjustment Assistance programs, the General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed available Department of Labor program data and surveyed 20 states representing about 76% of all workers certified under the two programs in fiscal…

This compendium contains evaluation briefs on 49 youth programs that were assessed by the American Youth Policy Forum. The programs were selected because they demonstrate that careful application of the following principles can lead to powerful results for youth: adult support, structure, and expectations; creative forms of learning; combination…