Residential environmental education aims to enhance proenvironmental attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors, as well as attain outcomes related to personal and interpersonal skills. Although these outcomes may not be evident for months or even years afterward, few program evaluations investigate how the experience and context affect intended outcomes…

Given limited funding for school-based science education, non-school-based programs have been developed at colleges and universities to increase the number of students entering science- and health-related careers and address critical workforce needs. However, few evaluations of such programs have been conducted. We report the design and methods of…

This article briefly presents eight basic methods of residence program evaluation. Some of the evaluation methods presented lend themselves easily to process, and others lend themselves to outcome; some are applicable to both. (Author)

Four comprehensive approaches to assessing living environments for retarded persons are described. The Residential Management Survey (by McLain, Silverstein, Hubell, and Brownlee) is an approach to evaluating whether a facility is either resident-oriented or institution-oriented. An ecological approach to group behavior (by Landesman-Dwyer) is…

To resolve the contradictory approaches of the outside researcher and the clinician to the evaluation of residential treatment centers, it is suggested that ongoing self-evaluation be undertaken by the centers themselves. (CS)

This community living assessment tool for parents of children with deaf-blindness was developed to help parents identify the strengths and weaknesses of their child's residential program using a user-friendly instrument. Three areas of assessment are covered: physical attributes of the home, available resources for promoting capabilities, and…

This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Environmental Rating Scale, a measure specifically designed to assess residential treatment programs for individuals with autism. The measure's reliability was demonstrated by assessments of the internal consistency, stability, and interrater reliability. Preliminary analysis of validity…

Subsequent to the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Georgia established 20 gender specific, 6-12 month substance abuse residential programs for TANF mothers and their children. The purpose of this paper is to discuss one aspect of these residential settings, the fidelity of the assessment…

This two-volume set containing guidelines and a handbook is intended for persons monitoring the quality of community residences for retarded individuals. The guidelines document begins with a monitoring review worksheet which elicits information in the following categories: human, civil, and legal rights; environment; use of community resources;…

In this monograph, information for developing camp objectives, evaluation instruments, and program activities is presented. It includes: a brief treatise on the development of outdoor education programs; information related to the construction of behavioral objectives; attitude formation, change, theory, and measurement; a description of the…

The article briefly reviews the history of deinstitutionalization and supports the development and use of a comprehensive evaluation process to evaluate the human and environmental factors that affect the potential for successful placement of handicapped persons in community-based residential facilities. (JW)

Illuminative evaluation is concerned primarily with description and interpretation. At an English residential outdoor education center, illuminative evaluation of the program involves establishing operational questions for study and collecting data through questionnaires, interviews, observation, document analysis, and field notes. Data are…

Two studies replicated and refined a program for evaluating and improving residential treatment services during group leisure periods in living units for persons with severe developmental disabilities. Results indicated that provision of leisure materials and interaction with clients decreased maladaptive client behavior. The monitoring system…

This chapter presents the findings from a network analysis of a demonstration program for the developmentally disabled to show the application of graphical network analysis in program evaluation. The developmentally disabled demonstration (DDD) program was a five-year pilot project to provide person-centered service environments to people with …

Licensing and certification regulations for Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) can adversely affect individuals, distort the allocation of scarce resources, and encourage community residences to become small institutions. A case study of one home in northern California illustrates poor program evaluation and the need…