Identifying a topic for a dissertation is widely considered to be one of the most important, challenging, and stressful parts of the research process. Students often find it difficult to navigate this early yet pivotal stage due to heightened pressures, a lack of structural guidance, increased independence, and more pressing time constraints. In…

According to recent Pew Center research (2021), 72% of the US public uses some form of social media. These social media apps -- from Twitter to Facebook to Snapchat to Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and more -- are utilized to establish our digital presence and portray our digital identities. For higher education institutions and student affairs…

On September 17, 2013 (Constitution Day), the C3 Framework was released under the title "The College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History." The C3 Project Director and lead writer was NCSS member Kathy Swan, who is…

Jumpstart is a growing literacy program that is now active in 17 states in addition to the District of Columbia. The Jumpstart Model pairs children of low-income families with college mentors in the child's typical learning environment. Despite the prevalence and importance of Jumpstart, little has been written about either the general model of…

Making the right decisions at the right time is critical. Following through on those decisions is challenging and can take courage. One example of a group of institutions and facility management professionals stepping up to the task and having the courage to challenge the status quo is the State of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning…

The Second Half Program (SHP) is an educational sports program running in Brazil. It began in 2003 and was one of the Olympic educational proposals described in the Rio 2016 Olympics bid. Using sport as a tool, the SHP aims to deliver moral education and to promote citizenship in order to counteract "social exclusion" and "social…

This report describes the final evaluation of a condensed work schedule, the Summer 2009 4-Day Work Week (S4-DWW), adopted by The School Board of Broward County, Florida. The goal for the program was to close the entire district for 1 day each week to reduce utility costs. Except for a few cases, district schools and offices were closed on Fridays…

Programme evaluation is essential for quality assurance in education. In this paper, we describe our evaluation strategy for the first year of a new medical programme. Although we used multiple methods in the evaluation, the use of the focus group method was core. This paper reports our experiences of focus groups for this purpose. We describe the…

Although reauthorization of the the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (DCOSP) may be in jeopardy, a new evaluation highlights how the program is benefiting families. The study revealed that parents and students are overwhelmingly satisfied with their experiences in the DCOSP. Families feel that their children are safer, have a better attitude…

The authors tell about their heterogeneous 91 person research and evaluation unit at an operating foundation in St. Paul, Minnesota. They focus on evaluation for program improvement, one of several purposes of studies they work on. The three authors write from their different manager positions within the unit. Included are the context of the…

This chapter explores issues surrounding the demise of the Interdisciplinary Master's in Education (IMED) program, which was delivered on the neighbor islands in the state of Hawai'i. The innovative program brought educational opportunities to remote areas of the state and was a partnership between the main campus in Honolulu and several community…

The Scottish Qualification for Headship (SQH) is a national development programme designed to develop the leadership and management skills, abilities and values of aspiring head teachers. This article first outlines the context within which the qualification is set before describing some previous evaluations on aspects of the programme. Unlike…

NADEOSA held its 10th anniversary conference during August 2006 on the theme "Celebrating 10 years of NADEOSA. Exploring the role of ICTs in addressing educational needs: Identifying the myths and miracles." The conference evaluation strategy consisted of a number of consciously planned processes, a dialogical and reflective account…

Although the writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) movement has grown to be one of the most successful education reform movements in the United States, long-term strategies for sustaining WAC programs are needed and they must include recognizing and using context as a survival tool. Writing across the Business Disciplines (WABD) was started at…

This objective evaluation of the Kanawha County Schools Community Education (CE) program offered project staff the opportunity to determine the worth or effectiveness of the CE program and to provide stimuli for program improvement purposes. The CE personnel and the evaluation team blended their expertise--the program staff in the substance of the…