Various disparate activities have been defined as outreach, which is an element of social service/disease prevention programs. The history of outreach as a project element within federal social programs, central sources of variations in this element, measures of effectiveness and cost effectiveness, and recurring implementation issues are…

Article shares ideas learned from the challenges of implementing a program evaluation infrastructure for a comprehensive developmental, guidance, and counseling program (CDGC). The benefits of continuous program evaluation for staff and students were evident in this urban school district. Developing support for sustainable program evaluation…

Examined effects of Smart Start, a broad-based community initiative, on the quality of child care for North Carolina preschoolers. Found that care quality, as measured by the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, was significantly higher in 1996 than in 1994. Child care quality in 1996 was related to the number of local quality improvement…

"Engineering Criteria 2000" (EC 2000), the recently revised set of accreditation criteria for engineering programs in the USA, places considerable stress on outcomes assessments. EC 2000 requires the assessment results to be used to identify program improvements and for such usage and the resulting improvements to be documented. While…

The incidence rates of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are increasing, yet educators continue to be inadequately trained in assessing and serving students with TBIs. This study examined the efficacy of a half-day TBI training program for school psychologists designed to improve their knowledge and skills. Results of quantitative and qualitative…

Peer mentoring programs are designed to address problems experienced by new students to assist them in making the transition to university study. The University of New South Wales offers such a program to new undergraduate students. Feedback on the program is obtained from participants through questionnaires and is used to identify problems and to…

This report summarizes findings from one component of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education's (CPRE) evaluation of the General Electric Foundation's (GEF) "Developing Futures" ™ in Education program in Erie Public Schools (EPS). As described in the CPRE proposal and research design, the purpose was to closely analyze district…

In 1984 the State of New York mandated participation in the Comprehensive School Improvement Program (CSIP) for elementary schools that ranked in the bottom 9 percent on statewide student competency exams. To discern the overall effectiveness of the program and identify why it appeared to succeed in some schools and fail in others, the changes in…

"The Program Evaluation Standards," established by 16 professional associations, identify evaluation principles that should result in improved program evaluations that address utility, propriety, feasibility, and accuracy. This digest summarizes these standards. Guidelines and illustrative cases to assist in meeting these standards are…

Describes a simple observational method for recording and evaluating the caregiving behavior of teachers of younger and older infants that may be used to foster program improvement. (ED)

Speech delivered to a 1974 Society for College and University Planning workshop on the need for more useful techniques for evaluating educational programs in American postsecondary education. (JG)

The Farmers Training and Functional Literacy Program should attempt to broaden the program content in exploring the possibilities of undertaking a comprehensive evaluation and the addition of social, cultural, and political education along with training in occupational functions. (Author/BP)

This handbook is intended to assist correctional educators in improving postsecondary vocational programs for incarcerated persons. The guide is based on a study of exemplary characteristics and practices of postsecondary vocational programs in minimum-, medium-, and maximum-security correctional institutions. The introductory section includes…

The language development component of Columbus, Ohio's All Day Kindergarten Program (ADKP) was evaluated. The ADKP was instituted in Columbus' public schools in January, 1972, to provide a full day of instruction for underachieving kindergarten pupils. In the 1988-89 school year, 18 teachers served in 18 elementary schools that were eligible for…

Using test results to align curriculum was studied in two applications with Chapter 1 programs. Curriculum alignment is the process of coordinating instruction so that a particular curriculum builds on skills students have learned in previous courses while providing skills for future success. In using test results for program improvement,…