Two evaluation projects conducted for the Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service are examined from a user-focused perspective: (1) a needs assessment of large scale commercial farmers for program development by the Office of Special Programs; and (2) a review of the extension programs in Nicollet County. Each incorporated the focus group method…

In a variety of psychological and educational situations, it is desirable to be able to make data-based evaluative summary statements regarding the impact of a given program. Certain procedures typically used in meta-analytic studies that review and integrate results from individual studies, such as combined tests and measures of effect size, are…

Based on an analysis of online search evaluation forms collected from all types of U.S. libraries, and a pilot test of a draft evaluation form in selected federal research libraries, this report presents the work of the American Library Association's (ALA's) Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) Committee on Measurement and Evaluation. The…

The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics of inservice day care training programs in the United States. The study covers programs which were partially or totally supported with federal funds. Questionnaires were sent to 161 programs which were in operation during the 1980-1981 fiscal year. Responses were obtained from 70 programs…

This report focuses on the School Action Effectiveness Study (SAES), the national evaluation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Alternative Education Program. It presents the history, start-up activities, successes, and problems encountered during the first year of the 17 action projects. In the first section, the…

Developed to assist vocational students, nontraditional by sex, in finding and keeping training-related jobs, this manual contains strategies for use by all vocational educators--instructors, administrators, and placement specialists. It is intended for use with potential employers, nontraditional and traditional vocational students, advisory…

Reasons for the long-range success of the Los Angeles Community College District's evaluation system for its handicap program are explored in this report, using a force field analysis of facilitating and restraining factors. First, introductory material cites previous reports exploring various aspects of the evaluation system. Next, the following…

This conference report identifies research needs in evaluating and documenting large scale school improvement efforts to serve disadvantaged populations. Summaries of the conference presentations are provided, grouped into three sections. The first section examines the basis of conducting evaluations. Several basic assumptions are challenged,…

The process of determining the effectiveness of developmental programs in two-year colleges was the focus of this study. It was limited to New York State, and designed in response to a request for proposals issued by Bureau of Grants Administration, New York State Education Department. The need for systematic review of developmental programs and…

The paper reports an attempt to evaluate instructional practices in compensatory education by looking at both costs and effects associated with the practices. The study covered some 300 Chapter l projects over a three-year period, focusing on project settings and instructional approaches used in the projects. Results of the study indicated that…

This summary report evaluates the 1983-84 Portland Public Schools Chapter 1 program in terms of achievement gains on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills and the Portland Achievement Test. The Chapter l project included three public high schools, 50 public elementary schools, and 14 nonpublic elementary schools. At any given time, about 7,000…

This report presents an overview of research objectives, sampling approaches, data collection procedures, and instruments and plans for analysis used in assessing the impact of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports on different types of fitness programs. Surveys were conducted of: (1) community fitness programs; (2) employee…

The District of Columbia's Multi-Arts Service Program, whose second year of implementation (1983-84) is evaluated here, is a multi-disciplinary program in music, dance, theater, and visual arts designed for public school students in Grades K-9. The program's primary objectives are to (1) increase student awareness of the arts through assemblies,…

Information processing and memorial processes that have been identified by contemporary research as important factors in human learning and cognitive activity are shown to provide a basis for explaining and predicting transfer of training effects. Four major factors are discussed in separate sections: the relationship between retrieval cues and…

A case study design that included classroom observation, repeated self-assessments, and formal interviews was used in a training workshop for 11 preservice teachers. The intent was to train them to use dramatic activities with secondary school students in their own classrooms. The training incorporated elements of theory, demonstration, peer…