Restorative practices in schools lack rigorous evaluation studies. As an example of rigorous school-based research, this article describes the first randomized control trial of restorative practices to date, the Study of Restorative Practices. It is a 5-year, cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Restorative Practices Intervention (RPI)…

Prior learning assessment (PLA) is the process of evaluating learning, regardless of when or where the learning occurred, and, if the learning is at the college level, awarding college credit to the possessor of that learning. This article provides an overview of the PLA program at a large public U.S. institution and presents the findings of the…

This guide to program evaluation presents questions that illuminate aspects of the evaluation process. Issues to consider in program evaluation are: (1) the intended results of the program; (2) hypotheses about the possible results of the program; (3) the types of data that will indicate achievement of the intended results and the variables that…

Hypothesis generation and testing is outlined as an additional domain for program evaluators. Program evaluation involves a thorough analysis of the processes that contribute to change (or a lack of change) among program recipients. This process of change is analyzed in two ways: (1) treating programs as naturally occurring field studies; and (2)…

A field study to describe common characteristics of three "most successful" vocational programs in each participating northern California community college is presented. The study was divided into distinct phases. In Phase I, a procedure for identifying three "most successful" programs on each college campus was developed and…

The Naturalistic Evaluation Methodology presented here rests on a transactionist theory of child development, an ecological view of human behavior and the quasi-clinical method of inquiry. It is intended that the procedures will lead not only to the improvement of the quality of preschool education but will generate knowledge about children's…

Twnety-seven hypotheses relative to middle school operations were generated and tested through analyses of data gathered. Using various instruments data was obtained from: students, teachers, principals, and central administrative offices. Discussions and findings about the hypotheses are presented, and each is catalogued according to whether it…

The effectiveness of multiple matrix sampling was examined in a study of 495 students' attitudes toward a computer education program. A post hoc analysis of variance was used, with the class as the unit of analysis. The Computer Attitude Scale, a 30-item rating scale, was used to measure attitudes toward learning about and working with computers.…