New ways of thinking about governance are beginning to transform the leadership strategies of many people who serve in nonprofit organizations. How specifically can the time and talents of higher education trustees be used more effectively to advance the interests of colleges and universities? How many college and university boards govern like…

This report, required by the Oregon legislature, describes the state's Head Start prekindergarten program and the program's achievements during the 2001-2003 period. The report delineates the federal and state funding for the program during this period, and the number of programs, classrooms, and children served, noting that 61 percent of all…

This report details the findings of a national follow-up survey that investigated day and employment services provided by the mental retardation/developmental disabilities (MR/DD) state agencies for FY 1990 and makes comparisons with services provided during FY 1988. Key findings from the survey include: (1) a substantial increase in the…

This report is the outcome of the first attempt to research self-help groups (SHGs) systematically on a large enough scale to represent the whole of those in Great Britain. Chapter 1 explains and defines what SHGs are and how they relate, qualitatively and quantitatively, to the universe of all voluntary organizations of which they are a part.…

The Parents as Teachers (PAT) program is increasingly turned to as an option in broadening parent education and family support program offerings. In order to provide evidence of PAT's effectiveness in general and with low-income families in particular, a public-private partnership was formed to conduct a multi-site evaluation in three communities.…

The Lifelong Learning Demonstration (LLD) in the Greater Baltimore area was designed to encourage adult workers to invest in education and training (ET) to upgrade their skills, productivity, and earnings. To test achievement of this objective, an evaluation estimated LLD's impact on school enrollments, number of credits earned, receipt and amount…

Fifty-nine adult education courses were randomly assigned to a fee and non-fee condition to establish the extent to which the two attract different clientele. It was concluded that fee removal from leisure-centered courses does not attract those significantly different from the middle class participants traditionally attracted to such courses.…

Reports on qualitative study of recovering people who attended a 12-step fellowship and involved themselves in the community to find out how this involvement was affected by 12-step participation. Respondents reported fellowship prepared them for community activity by teaching them skills, offering opportunities to practice participation with…

A study examined patterns and predictors of service use by 85 families of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) graduates, specifically premature infants. Enabling variables (NICU contacts and follow-up services) and parents' perceptions of children's problems were major predictors of service use. No demographic characteristics predicted service…

The Iowa Articulation Norms Project and its Nebraska replication provided normative information about speech sound acquisition of children ages two through nine. This paper discusses the influence of demographic variables, trends in ages of acquisition, the impact of acceptability criteria on outcomes, and the usefulness of plotting acquisition…

Investigated the reading development of children as they arrive in mainstream school in order to assess their progress from the emergent literacy phase into the early stages of beginning conventional reading. Found that if children enter school with developed alphabet knowledge and adjust quickly to school, they have an 80 percent chance of…

To investigate the extent to which street gangs in Los Angeles (California) are comprised of youth or adults, self-report data from 435 gang members are examined. Findings do not generally support the idea of the aging gang member. Gangs consist primarily of adolescents, regardless of racial and socioeconomic differences. (SLD)

This qualitative study evaluated the cognitive style construct field-dependent/independent as a selection criteria for student subjects for formative evaluation of instructional material. Four college students interacting with a computer-assisted instruction package were observed, and data on subject readiness, researcher/subject interactions,…

Evidence is presented that strengthens the argument against comparison group research strategies. Results from a study of youth attitudes related to the California Conservation Corps involving 528 participants and 668 comparisons indicate that the comparison group may not adequately represent the nontreatment state. (SLD)

Considers the competing demands placed on evaluators in relation to the service (characteristics of the intervention), the sample (people participating), and methodology or research design. Explores compromises that may be required between scientific ideals and real-world limitations, and assesses implications for obtaining meaningful results in…