This document is comprised of four reports related to the evaluation of the Kentucky Preschool Program (KPP), serving 4-year-olds who qualify for the free lunch program and 3- and 4-year-olds with disabilities. Report 1 focuses on the differential effects of the preschool program related to race and to gender. Three key findings are reported: (1)…

Since 1994, the National Science Foundation has funded Rural Systemic Initiatives (RSI), a set of systemic reforms to enhance math, science, and technology education in economically disadvantaged, rural areas through instructional and policy reform and community development activities. As part of an evaluation of the program, surveys were sent to…

This study examined teacher characteristics influencing the frequency of computer use in preschool classrooms and explored the effectiveness of a 3-hour computer workshop emphasizing social collaboration at the computer on enhancing teacher perceptions. Participating in the study were 38 Head Start teachers and day care providers in rural Western…

This document is comprised of the single 2000 issue of a newsletter of the Harvard Family Research Project, designed to share new ideas and experiences in evaluating systems reform and comprehensive child and family services. The issue focuses on after-school programs and includes the following articles: (1) "Building the After School…

This study examined high-performing after-school projects funded by The After-School Corporation (TASC), to determine what characteristics, if any, these projects shared. Evaluators reanalyzed student performance data collected during the multi-year evaluation of the TASC initiative to identify projects where the after-school program was…

In nongraded, multi-age classrooms, children have the opportunity to learn a great deal from their more proficient classmates. Children in multi-age, nongraded programs often learn that children differ, and they learn to assist each other in productive ways. The organizational scheme has the potential to remove much of the competition of…

As demand for after-school services has grown, the public has responded with support for growth in federal, state, and local funding for these services. As in other successful grassroots movements, this high level of support is evident across groups with diverse objectives. Some after-school advocates are mainly interested in increasing the supply…

In 1998, Congress reauthorized and amended the "Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA)", creating, under Title II, the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants Program for States and Partnerships. One initiative under this amendment, the partnership grants program, funded partnerships among colleges of education, schools of arts and sciences, and…

Recognizing increasing difficulties faced by parents in the 1990s, this study surveyed group-based parenting programs in Great Britain in 1994-95. Findings indicate considerable diversity in program theory, objectives, content, and methods, with most programs based on social learning and behavioral principles. The main focus of programs is…

In 1990, social science programs in Quebec's colleges in Canada were revised to standardize core courses and objectives across individual courses. Subsequently, the province's Commission on the Evaluation of Collegiate Teaching undertook an evaluation of the revised program to determine its administration and effectiveness, as well as the…

This document reports the oral and written testimony submitted at a Congressional hearing on implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act in the Veterans Benefits Administration's (VBA) educational service and vocational and counseling services. Oral and written testimony was presented by Representative Jack Quinn, chair of the…

This summary explaining the results of evaluations of programs to prevent youth violence is an attempt to fill the gap in information about what works and what does not. An effort is made to place the problem of youth violence in perspective, using information largely taken from Bureau of Justice statistics. The existing programs are divided into…

Recognizing that violence is demographically concentrated in the male minority in inner cities is a necessary starting point for discussions of how to combat this violence. A conference on the prevention of youth violence was held in May 1996 to throw light on the problem of youth violence directly and specifically. Participants in this conference…

A primary goal of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is to identify and promote programs that enhance the field of juvenile justice. Since 1992, the Gould-Wysinger Awards, commemorating two OJJDP professionals, have recognized programs that advance the objectives of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act…

A study of Hawaii's JOBS WORKS! waiver demonstration project determined its influence on participant self-sufficiency and receipt of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Hawaii received a waiver to lift the 8-week federal limitation on upfront job search, operate on less than a statewide basis, require 18 hours of work, and secure…