Underage drinking prevention has two goals: prevent harm to the individual drinker and prevent harm to society. Modern prevention programs should be measured not by their intentions, but by their consequences: reducing the number of criminal events, reducing the amount of harm to individuals, and reducing the harm to society. This guide discusses…

This guide details what coalitions and organizations need to do to insure the enforcement and judicial communities are active partners in the effort to reduce underage drinking. One of the first tasks discussed is the necessity for groups to understand the needs and concerns of law enforcement and to recognize that underage drinking enforcement…

If museums and libraries are to compete for both public and private funds in an accountability-driven environment, they must develop evaluation practices that provide the most compelling picture of the impact of their services. The two essays in this document present clear arguments for the adoption of a specific approach to evaluation known as…

This resource guide describes approaches to evaluating the mediation of special education conflicts, especially the use of participant questionnaires in evaluating mediation programs. Section 1 establishes the evaluation context and lists 10 action steps in the design and implementation of an evaluation plan. Section 2 addresses issues for…

Project Change is a community-driven anti-racism initiative operating in four communities: Albuquerque, New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Valdosta, Georgia. The formative evaluation of Project Change began in 1994 when all of the sites were still in planning or early action phases. Findings from the summative evaluation will be…

This paper describes a tool-and-result methodological approach to the practice and evaluation of an urban community development and gardening project with homeless youth. Over 9 months, at least 40 homeless children and teenagers were involved in the program, and approximately 15 were core participants. The paper critically examines the role of…

With the recent government regulations and emphasis on validity of all instruments used for selection and promotion, it appears that testing programs such as that described in this article are going to be essential factors in establishing effective and acceptable assessment centers. (Editor)

Findings of comparative study show no significant difference in followup services, although within a pattern, children attending schools in high socioeconomic area were more likely to receive professional attention. Includes recommendations for further study. Presented at American School Health Association Research Council - Scientific Forum,…

A conception of invalidity as bias is related to content validity for standardized achievement tests. A method of estimating content bias for each of three content domains (a priori, curricular, and instructional) based on the specification of a content taxonomy is also proposed. (Author/CM)

Existing evidence on the Milwaukee Project, an early intervention effort with preschool disadvantaged children, suggests a decline of the experimental children to the level of the untreated controls in those measures, such as school reading, not under the control of the project. (DB)

To design cost-effective solutions to nursing practice problems, staff development educators must be able to identify problems accurately. This article presents approaches to problem identification and criteria for problem classification that will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of staff development departments and activities. (Author)

Recommends focus groups as a useful research methodology for supplementing other, more commonly used measures of qualitative and quantitative assessment. Explains how focus groups can be used to examine teacher and practitioner perspectives of effective technical writing. Provides suggestions on how focus groups can also be used for evaluating…

A survey of 100 manufacturing companies in the United Kingdom identified evaluation methods for and barriers to effective training program implementation. Most felt their programs did not reach full potential in terms of higher productivity, performance, and improved quality. A program assessment model and policy recommendations were proposed.…

The article reports preliminary observations on data from six colleges on application of a regression model to help explain observed differences in instructional efficiencies of specific curricula. A major finding was that the most efficient distribution of students is in the humanities and social sciences. Tentative explanations for this finding…

The Transition Institute at the University of Illinois analyzed 15 studies that had identified effective or exemplary transition programs for students with disabilities. The analysis revealed 107 key elements associated with effectiveness or exemplary program status, including variables in career/vocational training, systematic interdisciplinary…