This article focuses on the management of federally funded evaluation research by (1) discussing aspects of building an in-house evaluation team; (2) defining possible contractor/client relationships, and (3) considering contractor/practitioner team rapport. (Author/GK)

Conducted a large-scale evaluation of the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP) to provide information about this widely used approach. This six-year impact evaluation, which considered more than 4,410 families, shows that CCDP's case-management approach, which is costly, does not lead to improved outcomes for parents or children. (SLD)

Discusses fairness in evaluation of nutrition education programs in terms of (1) proximity of outcomes or the degree to which outcomes are temporally and conceptually near to or distant from the program instruction and (2) conflicting program expectations of policy makers and program developers. (Author/DC)

A secondary analysis of the Alum Rock Educational Voucher Demonstration reveals a failure to implement the major aspects of voucher theory. (Author/AM)

Methods and findings are summarized from a classical randomized experiment used to evaluate the Nutrition Education and Training (NET) Program developed and implemented in Nebraska. Generally positive effects of the program were found. Two issues needing further consideration are described. (Author/GK)

One specific correction model suggested by Cohen and Cohen (1975) is applied to data collected in the evaluation of a large-scale quasi-experimental program (Project Follow Through), and the effects of different assumptions about test reliability on the analysis results and on the conclusions of the evaluators are examined. The study determines…

The original plans for the Follow Through (FT) program were to provide a program extending the Head Start community action model to the public schools which would serve all disadvantaged children. Because of the small budget allocation authorized by the Congress, the United States Office of Education reformulated FT as an experimental program of…

Data from the national evaluation of Project Follow Through were analyzed using analysis of covariance with and without correcting the pretest for unreliability. Such corrections led to some changes in conclusions. There are many disagreements in the literature about the appropriateness of correction for unreliability. (Author/CTM)

This article considers the advantages and disadvantages of having evaluation users increase the specificity of evaluation requirements through a review of legislative requirements behind several congressionally mandated national-level evaluations, and an in-depth examination of one congressionally mandated evaluation in which very specific design…

Presents the organizing framework used in evaluating the National Nutrition Education and Training Program (NET) and summarizes the descriptive, evaluative, and meta-evaluative findings. Concludes that positive effects on children's nutrition-related knowledge have resulted from different nutrition education programs. (DC)

A model is described which illustrates two general uses of multiple analyses to evaluate quasi-experiments: obtaining estimates of the treatment effect, and checking the validity of the experiment. (MH)

Describes some of the ways in which the federal government has decentralized responsibility for national evaluations of federally-funded early childhood programs. Details the methods used in local evaluation studies, and the strengths and weaknesses of centralized and decentralized national evaluations. (Author/KB)

This paper summarizes a report on a search for potential new educational approaches and assesses the readiness of these approaches to be implemented within Follow Through (FT) programs. Evaluation of potential FT sponsoring agencies focused on program implementation and maintenance, rather than on effectiveness in improving student outcomes. Three…

This paper shows how several of Cook and Gruder's meta-evaluation models have been applied in the national evaluation of Project Follow Through. Participants in the evaluation are identified, their roles are described, and the degree to which these roles map onto the meta-evaluation models is assessed. (Author/BW)

The Wiley and Harnischfeger school effects model treats quantity of instruction as a predictor of school performance. Despite the importance of the model for the study of school and program effects, including the incremental effects (if any) of Title I and other compensatory efforts, very little information is available on its practical…