This report extends the results of an earlier study on the use of performance measures and standards to suggest principles for designing outcome-based program improvement systems. It examines the implications of that research for enhancing accountability in future federal work force preparation legislation. It also illustrates specifically how the…

In the Parish of Clarendon in Jamaica, about 10 percent of infants are born to teenage mothers. Between 1986 and 1996, over 500 young mothers and their children participated in the Teenage Mothers Programme (TMP). The TMP took an approach that encompassed the development of the young women, stimulation and care for the infants, support in the…

One educational innovation that is having a widespread and disproportionate impact on the gap in academic achievement between African-American and Latino children and their White peers is Success for All (SFA), a comprehensive reform model for elementary schools piloted in Baltimore in 1987. SFA, a whole-school reform model that focuses primarily…

This paper reports on a 3-year computer initiative implemented by a school district in a metropolitan area. The initiative began in 1996 and continued through 1998. The school district of 44,000 students funded 5 computers and an ink jet color printer in each elementary classroom in 34 schools. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact…

The Success Skills for Textile Workers project was established in November 1994 by Alabama educational institutions and textile manufacturers to provide workplace literacy training for textile workers. This report details project objectives and outcomes through October 31, 1997. Introductory materials describe project components and list…

Data from nine Michigan elementary, middle, and high schools highlight the challenges and common strategies found in the use of student assessment data to meet public demands for accountability. The information gathered from assessment tools varies by frequency and type. Educators have, historically, underutilized data to guide practice because…

This document reports on a state (Maine) legislative task force evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the educational program and governance system of the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf in the context of the range of alternative educational models and placements available. Conclusions and recommendations are organized into the…

This final report describes activities and achievements of the PIWI (Parents Interacting with Infants) Outreach Project, a 3-year effort that developed a parent-child play group model and a training approach for personnel implementing this early intervention model. The project trained more than 1,000 early intervention and early head start…

This evaluation manual is a response to requests of education and training organizations for a practical methodology with tools to evaluate information and communications technology (ICT) projects and use of information and learning technologies in teaching and learning in Great Britain. Section 1 describes evaluation methodologies, the evaluation…

The Leadership Education Adventure Partnership (LEAP) is a program of For Love of Children in Washington, D.C., that aims to turn the lives of at-risk adolescents toward healthy development and a productive future. Beginning at age 10, LEAP involves youth in wilderness adventure activities that help them discover their strengths and develop…

This study addressed the use of Professional Development Schools (PDSs) as a component of the teacher preparation program at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. The study measured differences in perceptions of all groups involved in the PDS process. The five groups under study were PDS students, university faculty, and PDS onsite…

This text describes how human service personnel can best determine the desires of consumers with disabilities and how human service agencies can provide optimal support. This book is a synthesis of knowledge about the outcomes of the lives of people with disabilities and how human service agencies operate. While the first area of concentration is…

This chapter describes a program evaluation of cooperative learning in a private language school devoted to teaching English to Japanese students. Student resistance to cooperative learning was due to a lack of training of students, a lack of understanding of basic cooperative learning principles by administrators, and a lack of cooperative…

This paper describes the evaluation of the Renaissance Project for Improving Teacher Quality. The Renaissance Group is a national consortium of 16 colleges and universities committed to improving teacher education. Ten of these institutions, in collaboration with their schools of arts and sciences and their partner schools, have engaged in the…

This study attempted to assess family empowerment with participants in Access Vermont, a multilevel crisis intervention project for children with emotional disturbances and their families. The study used the Family Empowerment Scale, a scale based on two dimensions of empowerment level (comprised of family, service system, and community/political)…