Structural equation models reanalyzed data from the 1969 Westinghouse Head Start evaluation and extended the analysis to blacks and full-year programs. Results showed that the selection bias for summer program whites was absent for blacks and full-year program whites, and that Head Start helped the most disadvantaged children. (SLD)

An overview of the evaluation issues associated with contraceptive social marketing programs is provided. Methodologies covered include survey techniques, cost-effectiveness analyses, retail audits of sales data, time series analysis, nested logit analysis, and discriminant analysis. (TJH)

As online professional development courses for teachers have grown, the discussion forum has become a locus of considerable research. This study analyzes the discussion forums in four different sessions of a short (4-week) online course for teachers from six schools in three states. This study also compares four methodologies, all of which have a…

This study examined the effects of an assessment-based intervention plan on the appropriate classroom behavior of a socially withdrawn, Hispanic, learning disabled, third grade student. The study focused on (1) the effects of peer mediation as part of a behavioral intervention package of empirically validated components, (2) the effects of…

In August 1996 Jay P. Greene, Paul E. Peterson, and Jiangtao Du, with Leesa Boeger and Curtis L. Frazier, issued a report called "The Effectiveness of School Choice in Milwaukee." The report, referred to as GPDBF, presented data that indicated that low-income minority students in their third and fourth years of participation in the…

A procedure was developed to combine subsets of curriculum-relevant items from a norm-referenced achievement test (NRT) with items comprising a locally-developed supplementary test in order to produce objective-referenced test (ORT) data for program evaluation. The study was designed to determine whether the ORTs were valid instruments for program…

Quasi-longitudinal data on student achievement, drawn from a computerized file on about 50,000 children, essentially consist of cross-sectional performance data analyzed in terms of length of program exposure while allowing for analysis of post-program performance on the basis of program exposure. The data are also analyzed according to the major…

This evaluation handbook is the third in a series of three handbooks developed for individuals, school districts, and agencies interested in implementing career education programs. It is a user's manual with easy-to-follow directions for the implementation of specific evaluation activities. The handbook is divided into the following nine sections:…

An experiment was designed to compare two alternative procedures for revising a preliminary version of an instructional program, one based on a subjective analysis of the program's behavioral goals, the other on an objective analysis of test data obtained from a trial of the unrevised program. Conforming to an experimental model, 20…

The document studies the problem of student overload in vocational agriculture programs in the State of Washington, examining its impact on teaching effectiveness and shop safety. The present teaching load is compared with an evaluation of an acceptable teaching and student load. Two questionnaires collected data: (1) regarding the present…

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided a program of training courses in the prevention, reduction, and control of water pollution for personnel of federal, state, and local governmental agencies, private industries, and universities. A triangulation approach was pursued in the instrumentation concept. That is, three…

The Conference Evaluation by Objectives method was designed to be an objective way of measureing program impact upon participants. At a convention program, speakers were asked to summarize their presentations in three or four participant-centered objectives. Participants were given a brief, easy to fill in and easy to tabulate form to evaluate the…

The follow-up study evaluating the effectiveness of occupational education programs in Illinois focused on six principal dimensions: the basis on which occupational decisions were made; the post-high school status of occupational program completers; employment experience of program completers; alumni assessments of program helpfulness and…

This Digest discusses computer assisted advisory practices currently in use in community colleges, outlining the types of data collected and how they are used, including the use of tracking to plan interventions for at-risk students. Enhanced computer technology has improved the effectiveness of academic advising by enabling more thorough and…

The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect upon the mixed/modest results of the primary studies related to the effectiveness of physical activity enhancement and improving nutritional intake in obesity prevention programs for children and youth. The results of a recent review of this topic that included 57 randomized controlled trials…