This program evaluation study examined the relationship between Problem Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) training and technical assistance and educator and implementation outcomes following the first year of a 3-year project. Educators from 40 pilot schools in eight districts participating in the study received ongoing professional…

This report is a case study of a technical evaluation assistance project in each of four states: Alabama, California, Colorado, and Maine. (The project activities in each state included the following: becoming acquainted with the vocational education delivery system and methods of evaluation; identifying problems associated with the evaluation…

Sixteen vocational education evaluation problems which indicate the present situation in the states are discussed, and alternative solutions to them are suggested in this report. Each problem represents a situation that should be remedied or a need that must be met and was found to be common to a number of states attempting to develop or improve…

A pretest-posttest control group design was used to assess the leadership and problem-solving skills of 281 participants and 110 controls in a statewide community leadership development program. Quantitative and qualitative data demonstrate that the program has been a catalyst to influence leadership and problem-solving skills for community…

This two-year project demonstrated a model for preventing the removal of children from their homes, with the aim of reducing both the number of children entering foster care and the number of families recycled through the child protective services system. The project was a joint effort by the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) Region 11…

This publication represents a major attempt by the Massachusetts Department of Education to involve itself in what educators call the "change process" -- using research to help develop solutions to educational problems, and disseminating results to facilitate adoption of those solutions by many schools. Title III provides federal funds…

A report on the Massachusetts Early Education Project is presented. The two general goals of this project are: (1) to investigate and describe the general status of early education and child care in Massachusetts, and (2) to develop a public perspective for the care and education of young children. This document is divided into nine chapters.…

In 1996, North Carolina began a 5-year evaluation of alternative learning programs (ALPs). This report contains in-depth case studies of four ALPs during the 1996-97 school year. The ALPs were selected to represent different types of programs in the state, and include one middle school, two high school, and one elementary school programs. The case…

This section presents two pragmatic studies focusing on a real-life situation and specific applications in managerial decision making. One study deals with improving occupational safety in a bedding manufacturing plant, whereas the other concentrates on managing a state mental health program. (SLD)

The existing crises in the schools show a need for some systematic method of planning that leaves little to chance or opinion and which rests more on the scientific techniques of problem solving. Although the use of a systems approach in public programs is just beginning, it seems to hold considerable promise for education. Hence, the Nevada State…

Formative, in-process evaluation results can be used to refine or "fine tune" Even Start programs. The assumption is that the programs have obtained comprehensive and appropriate empirical data on the assessment of the program as a whole as well as its specific goals. This six-step model uses evaluation data to improve program delivery.…

The State Research Coordination Units (RCU's) are in an optimum position to provide linkage between the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and its users as part of a comprehensive vocational-technical education information dissemination system. Realizing this, the Center for Vocational and Technical Education developed this guide with…

A five-sided program for helping rural families in Vermont is summarized. Help is being given to agriculture, the home, the young people, the underprivileged, and the community itself. The overall aim is a balanced environment. It is pointed out that change characterizes rural Vermont and that a need for a balanced environment is slowly being…

With the existence of 67 monographs and approximately 60 practitioners trained in action research in the western and central parts of Pennsylvania from project years 1995-98, the 1998-99 Section 353 project expanded the action research network (ARN) to include teachers, administrators, and researchers in the northeastern and southeastern parts of…

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association's (CBIA's) Statewide Workplace Literacy Program was designed to provide customized basic skills training to adult workers. A full-time workplace literacy coordinator met with company steering committees to identify the company's goals for the training, promote the program internally, select…