A random assignment study evaluated two welfare program case management approaches, traditional and integrated, and was conducted as part of the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work (WTW) Strategies, an evaluation of 11 welfare-to-work programs in 7 sites nationwide. More that 7,000 single parent welfare applicants and recipients deemed…

A "Gateway to Success" Mock Job Fair Program was conducted at Federal Correction Institute, Terminal Island. Prior to participation, inmates and employers were administered a pre-program needs assessment questionnaire to determine expectations. Results of the program evaluations (completed by inmates and employers) documented a need for…

Nine European Community Member States (Belgium, Germany, France, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and United Kingdom) conducted national studies that involved case studies of quality assurance in continuing education. Analysis of findings indicated that many firms regarded continuing training as a central instrument for achieving…

A survey of faculty at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in Kansas was conducted to determine the current effectiveness and future needs of the JCCC Writing Center. Surveys were delivered to all full- and part-time instructors. The response rate was 18%, with approximately 31% of full-time faculty and 12% of part-time faculty returning…

The Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) was an ambitious effort launched in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1996 to provide high-quality early care and education services to at-risk children, on a county-wide scale and under the direction of local neighborhood agencies. Four years after its launch, ECI was providing substantial social and educational…

Smart Start is North Carolina's model early childhood initiative to help all North Carolina children enter school healthy and prepared for success. Serving all 100 counties in the state, Smart Start's services include child care subsidies and health and family support services. This report describes the program, focusing on its impact on the…

This report describes the impact of nurse consultant services to child care programs in Colorado on the children, parents, and staff of the centers they serve as part of the Healthy Child Care Colorado (HCCC) initiative. Study participants included 25 child care center directors and 24 nurse consultants, representing large and small centers in…

This institutional effectiveness (IE) report for Trident Technical College (TTC), South Carolina, describes majors and concentrations, academic advisement, and transfer. The 2001-2002 academic year marked the tenth year of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) for the college. GAS is a systematic means of developing an individual yardstick for assessing…

This publication assembles the most current research on professional development and change for teachers looking to accelerate their professional growth and the improvement of student learning. Designed as a how-to resource, it reviews the stages of building an effective professional development system. The seven chapters are: (1) "Developing a…

This book provides guidance on developing an effective evaluation plan for adult English language programs, whether in the context of family literacy, workplace and workforce literacy, or general language development. With an emphasis on surveys, interviews, observation measures, and performance samples, the authors show how staff members and…

Western Illinois University's College of Education and Human Services is redesigning its undergraduate teacher education program. The program places volunteer freshmen in real classrooms for long-term observations and volunteer assistance, eventually leading up to a full range of teaching opportunities. Also, coursework is presented in an…

This report summarizes three bodies of research on teenage pregnancy and programs to reduce the risk of teenage pregnancy. Studies included in this report were completed in 1980 or later, conducted in the United States or Canada, targeted adolescents, employed an experimental or quasi-experimental design, had a sample size of at least 100 in the…

The Jump Start program is a preschool program serving about 4,000 four-year-olds in a partnership including Head Start, Even Start, a tuition-based program, and the Kentucky preschool program mandated by the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA). This study compared the family of Jump Start programs and a comparison group on student academic…

Multiple qualitative methodologies were used to describe and analyze the Maternal and Child Health Training Program (MCH), including a review of FY1999 continuation applications for all 101 projects; site visits to 31 training projects; focus groups with state Title V program staff and federal regional MCH consultants; and interviews with 110…

Even Start programs integrate early childhood education, adult literacy or basic education, parenting education and support, and parent and child time to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy. This report describes the Even Start program in Colorado, and includes evaluation questions and methods. The report presents evaluation findings…