A supplemental instruction program for first-year doctoral pharmacy students (n=136), providing review and study skills assistance, was evaluated using attendance patterns, student characteristics, and final grades. Regular attendance was significantly, positively related to final grade for minority students only. Students perceived any attendance…

Statewide finance reform offers a one-time opportunity for overhauling services. Any funding remedy should address improved base funding for low-income schools and investment in programs and practices designed to help schools increase student performance. This article describes a mechanism for using new monies to disseminate effective programs,…

Provides a comparative analysis of the Perry Preschool project, an experimental program that delivered high quality preschool education to 58 at-risk, African American children, and the national Head Start preschool program. Finds that each program has unique strengths and weaknesses. (MDM)

Meta-analysis of 143 effect sizes in 43 studies of adventure programming for adolescents found an overall effect size of 0.31. Summary effect sizes of outcome categories differed significantly among categories, however. Effect size was related to program length and participant age but not to delinquent status. Discusses the lack of pertinent…

Partial results of an evaluation of an alternative criminal-sentencing program indicate considerable disagreement among stakeholders over perceived program effectiveness. It is argued that these disagreements are not isolated events but are likely to be inherent in any program with the potential to change established systems within a complex…

This survey collected data on attitudes, beliefs, and feelings of 67 students and 85 parents over the course of the first year of operation of the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. The survey addressed positive and negative emotions, impact on the family and the student's educational advancement, and personal and…

Evaluation of the academic advising system at a complex university found that most students were advised, felt general advising needs were met, and were satisfied with help received. Few felt faculty were their primary advisors, many sought help from other sources, and most spent 15 minutes or less per semester with primary advisors. (Author/MSE)

Although college missions, goals, and resources vary widely, institutions can assess the impact of financial aid and make strategic decisions to advance enrollment objectives. Such research requires specification of institutional goals and the relative priority of quality, quantity, diversity, and cost, and data on previous cohorts. New…

An evaluation of the University of Colorado's posttenure faculty peer review process found that, although the process was successful in identifying faculty whose efforts might be reinvigorated through faculty development, the resources to effect change had seldom been forthcoming. The most useful aspect of the review was the most neglected. (MSE)

Presents a nine-step effectiveness plan for the continuing education department of a community college: dream big; study the president's dream; dream a vision for the department; quantify the program's past; study the district; build an identity; plan a schedule of classes; conduct evaluation; and inform long-range planning. (DMM)

An evaluation instrument, DataPac, was developed and pilot-tested to assess the efficacy of corporate health promotion programs. This article reports results of a study to evaluate the DataPac questionnaire for construct validity, criterion validity, and stability reliability. Implications for worksite health programs are discussed. (IAH)

A study of the Lilly Endowment's Teaching Fellows Program, which provides professional growth experiences for junior faculty of colleges and universities, found that the program broadly socializes faculty to their roles and specifically enhances teaching abilities. Implications for institutional leaders and faculty developers are noted.…

Discusses service learning (learning that combines public service with related academic work) and service learning projects in an undergraduate course on mass communication and society. Finds that it is an effective means of teaching that increases student understanding of complex material. (SR)

Describes the range of health or social service home visiting programs in the United States, examining the characteristics of successful programs, the outcomes produced by such programs, and the future direction of home visitation. Recommends that home visiting programs be voluntary, flexible, culturally sensitive, well-staffed, and realistic in…

This article describes an ongoing survey that illustrates how evaluators, working with program managers, have effectively used client-based data to monitor performance in the Social Security Administration. The value of client-based data outweighs the limitations and problems collecting it. Customer perceptions are a critical barometer of quality.…