A crucial question for evaluating nationally or internationally implemented programs is whether local adaptations detract from program quality and effectiveness. An evaluation examined the program successes and challenges encountered in the first 5 years of Home-Start in the Netherlands, a home-based family support program for families with young…

The Texas Effectiveness Study is an evaluation of the effectiveness of special education programs and services in developing life skills related to the transition planning process for Texas special education. One of the three components of the Texas Effectiveness Study is a study of adult outcomes. This component was implemented in the summer of…

This guide helps schools think about how effectively they ensure that all families in the community are welcomed into school efforts. It features four sections highlighting areas that are important when considering all families in school improvement efforts. Each section contains examples from schools which are doing well, items to respond to, and…

In 1998, the Illinois statewide coalition Work, Welfare and Families, in partnership with the Chicago Urban League, undertook a study to assess the effects of welfare reform on low-income families and children across Illinois. The findings were derived from three sources: a self-administered survey of 2,166 low-income clients of Illinois social…

This paper reports the results of a mailed survey of beginning and mentor teachers who participated in the Wisconsin-Whitewater Beginning Teacher Assistance Program (BTAP) between 1988 and 1999, a university-based mentoring program for K-12 teachers. The program features graduate credit for required mentor training and beginning teacher…

A large-scale evaluation was conducted of Jobs-First GAIN, a strongly employment-focused mandatory welfare-to-work program. Its main features were an unusually intensive program orientation; high quality job clubs; job development activities; strong encouragement to take entry-level jobs and combine work and welfare in the short-term; and…

A proposed strategy for the National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) uses school-wide data to identify secondary schools where students' academic achievement has been improving at a relatively fast rate and those where it has not. Schools with the most involvement in vocational education can be selected from the two groups. These two…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Crossroads Cafe program, an instructional program for adults that promotes a nontraditional learning environment with limited intervention by a professional teacher. It studied 475 limited-English-proficient (LEP) adult learners using Crossroads Cafe videotapes and text materials under field conditions…

The principal aims of the Tipton Childminding Project, begun in 1994, were to increase access to and quality of training and support for childminders and caregivers in England's Tipton Challenge area, to increase the number of childminders and child caregivers from all sections of the community, to promote interagency initiatives to develop links…

A meta-analysis (37 published studies) that summarized treatment outcomes associated with skills training with antisocial youth was performed. As is consistent with the hypothesis, results indicate that skills training interventions delivered in the context of homogeneous groups of deviant peers produced smaller benefits than did skills training…

This document is comprised of the 1998 issues (issues 3 and 4 are combined) of a quarterly newsletter produced by the Harvard Family Research Project to share new ideas and experiences in evaluating systems reform and comprehensive child and family services. Regular columns include: "From the Director's Desk,""Theory and…

The School Readiness Language Development Program is one of several programs developed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in response to the original court order to integrate LAUSD schools. The program includes oral language opportunities for 4-year-olds, a parent education component, a staff development component, and an…

During its 8-year history, the federal Adult Education for the Homeless Program (AEH) pioneered new methods of service to adults in need and benefited over 320,000 homeless adults and families. Despite an evaluation that documented program success, funding was rescinded from the 1995 federal budget and never reinstated. AEH programs developed the…

This report provides a synopsis of findings from an interim report of an ongoing national study of Title I schoolwide programs conducted by the Laboratory for Student Success in conjunction with other Regional Educational Laboratories. The study is designed to develop a national database on program features, implementation requirements, and…

This report evaluates special education program expansion in the Saginaw (Michigan) school district with federal funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The program expansion involved: employment of 16 special education certified teachers to teach students with learning disabilities (LD), emotional impairments (EI), and…