Details the design and implementation of a rolling review process for community-based adult literacy programs. Describes four steps: documentation to become "review ready," collection of feedback from participants and key informants, site visit by reviewers, and use of the evaluation report as a planning tool. (SK)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a staff training-and-management package on nutritional practices in two community-based group homes serving adults with developmental disabilities. Food storage, menu development, and meal preparation were covered. All staff behaviors increased after training and were maintained for up to one year.…

Senior staff members at a family foundation share their perspectives, as managers and practitioners, on the ethical challenges and opportunities facing professionals engaged in the evaluation of comprehensive, community-based initiatives and other nontraditional program strategies. (Author/SLD)

Presents an early stage evaluation model that was used to provide a framework to assess the effectiveness of three comprehensive community initiative projects that were put in place in Nebraska in 1996. Discusses challenges of evaluating these broadbased initiatives and pitfalls in using result-based performance evaluation. (SLD)

Discusses complex struggles that occurred when attempting to negotiate a development agenda for a drama workshop involving people with mental health problems. Notes that the context of the intervention was "highly problematic." Suggests that for substantial change to take place the project worker and participants need an agenda of…

Examines the Phipps Houses Group, a nonprofit housing developer, in its attempt to foster a sense of community and family well-being in housing developments. Discusses the community development program and gives a profile of tenants. Suggests that this model should become more common as direct federal housing development diminishes. (RJM)

At southwest Virginia's new Appalachian School of Law, students volunteer 25 hours each semester on community service projects. Projects fall into two categories: pure service by sharing a skill or interest, and service that draws on legal skills, such as presenting legal seminars to senior citizens' groups or conducting conflict resolution…

Patterns of staff communication with people living in three community-based residential facilities supporting persons with disabilities were examined by observing 16 staff persons for 2 hours each as they communicated with residents. Frequencies of communication were found to differ across activities and residents (communicative partners) but not…

Explores issues surrounding community-based literacy research. Suggests that, although well intentioned, literacy researchers risk overdetermining, essentializing, and romanticizing what it means to engage in community-based literacy if they do not define and question what is meant by community. Examines various definitions of community and argues…

The president of the William T. Grant Foundation looks beyond problem adolescents to see young people as assets. The Foundation plans to focus on ways to give young people a meaningful role in society. Seeing youth as a community resource increases opportunities for society and for young people. (SLD)

Argues for maintaining a discovery capacity (both qualitative and quantitative) in evaluations of community-based health and human service programs. Discovery capacity is defined as a mechanism to detect new insights and developments in programs. Cites reasons this capacity is especially important in community-based programs. (SLD)

Describes an initiative by Union College in Schenectady, New York, to invest $10 million in the local community. The initiative includes acquiring property, encouraging home ownership, scholarships for local students, community outreach, and formation of alliances with local community organizations and agencies. The necessary use of endowment…

This "theme" issue offers 17 articles all on the subject of dentistry education programs sponsored by the Macy project, a 24-month effort to assess the feasibility of "community-based clinical dental education." Following an introduction, articles are grouped into those concerning problems (financing dental education, public financing of dental…

Describes experiences in developing a multi-program economic evaluation and costing study of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), a widely studied community mental health treatment model. The project description shows how the worlds of research and service delivery can collaborate to come to symbiotic resolutions. (Author/SLD)

This multimethod study explored the promising link between organized sports involvement during the high school years and sexual behavior/health among 176 adolescent women. Using more sensitive and appropriate measures than those in existing studies and directed, in part, by cultural resource theory, this study helped to fill a gap in the…