This guide is intended to serve as a systematic checklist for evaluators of vocational training institutions and for directors of schools or skills centers who want to identify areas in need of improvement. Discussed first are steps in defining the purpose of the evaluation (nature and objectives of the project, point of view, and the initial…

A synthesis is provided of the information collected between September 1984 and April 1985 by Operational Program Review (OPR) teams regarding 22 California community college Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) programs. Chapter 1 explains the purposes and evaluation methods of OPRs, and outlines the general characteristics of the…

Nine syllabi for courses on research and evaluation in higher education are reviewed. The syllabi fall into four areas: general research design and methods, program evaluation, naturalistic inquiry, and institutional self-study. A course on research design and methods at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, focuses on three basic modes…

The Saginaw Successful Schools Project (S3P) was described and evaluated using data collected from 1980 to 1985. S3P is a school improvement project based on instructional and school effectiveness research findings; but the starting point for change is determined by staff in each of the 31 school buildings. The School Improvement Survey (SIS) was…

The Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition Program (CIRC), which combines individualized instruction with cooperative learning, was evaluated in two studies. In the first study, 461 third and fourth graders were pulled out of their reading classes for part or all of the reading period over a 12-week period and CIRC was implemented. In the…

This guide provides an introduction to competency-based employment and training under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). The guide describes in general terms the steps service delivery areas should take to implement competency-based employment and training systems for youth. The content is based on the experiences of practitioners, and it is…

Presented are abstracts and abstractors' analyses of eight studies related to teacher education and two studies related to the nature of science. Analyses in the area of teacher education are on studies of: attitudes of elementary teachers in Trinidad and Tobago (P. Fraser-Abder and R. Shrigley); educators' categorizations of different models of…

This guide is designed to encourage and assist senior citizen center participants in sharing their knowledge, skills, and experiences through teaching. Addressed in the ten chapters of the guide are the following topics: a strategy for success, needs assessment and data collection, analysis of learner needs, formulation of goals and objectives,…

Desegregation in elementary schools in Springfield, Massachusetts, must be rated a success. Implementation of the desegregation program, which became a reality in 1974, was successful because of the following factors: strong leadership from the superintendent; support of the mayor and the school committee (in spite of their opposition to mandatory…

In spring 1988, a study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC), Illinois, to gather follow-up information about graduates of the college's Dietetic Technician program. Questionnaires were mailed to the 16 students who graduated from the program in 1986 and 1987 and to the 76 former students who graduated prior to 1984. Information…

This monograph contains five papers that discuss an eco-behavioral approach to psychology, special education, and applied behavior analysis. The papers point out the advantages of assessing ecological factors (such as natural stimuli and special education procedures) in a quantitative fashion and in a temporal relationship with student behavior.…

One of the most appropriate quasiexperimental approaches to compensatory education is the regression-discontinuity design. However, it remains underutilized, in part because of the need to clarify the link between the mathematical model and administrative decision-making. This paper explains the derivation of a program efficiency index congruent…

This report presents both formative and summative data regarding the implementation and effectiveness of the Basic Skills Program carried out in the Montgomery County, Maryland, public schools in 1981. The program provides intensive remedial instruction in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, and mathematics to elementary (through grade 8)…

In 1980, the Maryland State Education Agency initiated a statewide effort, School Improvement Through Instructional Process (SITIP), to put into practice the results of research on classroom management and school effectiveness. SITIP was intended to provide training and technical support to all local education agencies (LEA's) during the adoption…

An evaluation of work experience programs in Queensland state secondary schools had three goals. It examined current practices and identified effective practices to guide program planning and development; based on expected student benefits, it provided a categorization of the types of experience that students encounter during work experience…