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.…

As part of an effort to stem an unexpected decline in full-time equivalent students (FTES), San Joaquin Delta College, in California, surveyed students to determine their reasons for taking fewer courses and assess their likely reaction to fee increases scheduled for spring 1993. In fall 1993, 2,329 surveys were distributed to students in morning…

Noting that parent involvement in their children's schooling can improve academic performance, this report presents statistics on eighth-grade students' perceptions of parent involvement and its effect on their achievement for the school year ending in 1988. The report first highlights the findings as follows: (1) More than 80 percent of…

This paper examines the link between language and power as it relates to program evaluation of the Brisbane School of Distance Education. This program was developed in 1989 to meet the educational needs of children who are part of the Showmen's Guild of Australasia. Guild members and their families travel from town to town putting on agricultural…

This paper proposes an alternative approach to the traditional education paradigm that has prepared students for the old health care environment. In a changing health care environment, problem based learning (PBL) is achieving popularity primarily because educational outcomes parallel the skills and abilities desired of future clinicians and…

This paper compares and analyzes features of the models represented in five efforts to provide coordinated services for children and families located in five cities in an effort to determine how best to study these programs in the future. The programs are: (1) the Minneapolis Youth Trust (Minnesota), a city-wide partnership of member…

This report focuses on poverty and social inequality in San Francisco (California), presenting basic demographic information on the socioeconomic conditions of Latinos, African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Whites in San Francisco, based on an analysis of U.S. Census data for 1970, 1980, and 1990. Although it presents comparative…

In order to prepare prospective teachers of secondary school mathematics to effectively guide the teaching and learning process using technology, a new required course was developed at Middle Tennessee State University. Technology has been integrated into mathematics courses in which these preservice teachers are enrolled. This paper discusses the…

This paper discusses the problems and difficulties faced by school libraries in the United Kingdom (UK), specifically England and Wales. These problems are lack of funding, lack of a central role in the curriculum, lack of a central role in the management structure, and inadequate staffing. Lack of library funding stems from overall under-funding…

Research on the four prototypic parenting styles has consistently demonstrated their relationship to psychosocial adjustment in offspring from preschool children to high school students. The present study used self-report surveys administered to 2,255 graduating high school seniors (HS) and 419 university freshmen (UF). Students indicated their…

A quality Head Start facility should provide a physical environment responsive both to the needs of the children and families served and to the needs of staff, volunteers, and community agencies that share space with Head Start. This manual is a tool for Head Start grantees and delegate agencies for assessing existing facilities, making…

There are 3.2 million children in the United States living with their grandparents or other kin, a 40 percent increase since 1980. This exploding sociological trend with far-reaching implications for our future spans every segment of our society--rich and poor, black and white, Asian and Hispanic, urban and suburban. Based on interviews with…

A study determined the effects of Whole Language Immersion, a pedagogy rooted in Whole Language and English as a Second Language on two sections of eleventh-grade students in Sumter County, Alabama, defined as at-risk by the Alabama Exit Examination. For 10 weeks, the control group was taught grammar while the experimental group underwent language…

With the growing recognition of the importance of personal narratives as a tool for promoting and analyzing professional development, this study looked at what trends emerged from the personal narratives of female graduate students (most of whom were also teachers) when they were categorized by their rhetorical function and by stereotypical styles…

This paper investigates the influence of divorce on middle level students (grades 5 through 8) and how it relates to the students' performance (both academically and emotionally) in school. Also important to the discussion is what teachers should know about working with the children of divorce. The paper includes a review of the literature on…