This report provides an assessment of the progress of Sacramento START, an after-school learning program, for the period from September 1996 through May 1997. Evaluation instruments included standardized test scores for students in grades three through six and interviews with 18 principals from 20 START schools and teachers from 18 schools. Test…

Early childhood professionals and others concerned with the welfare of young children believe that voluntary quality guidelines can provide a model for program developers and current operators to use in assuring that program practices are age appropriate, that trained personnel are available, and that facilities are acceptable. These quality…

This report summarizes a survey of participants in a teacher training program for the First Steps project, which provides additional support for development of literacy and numeracy among "at-risk" students in Western Australia schools. The training program was to assist teachers in implementing the program in their schools. Respondents…

The Ninth Grade Restructuring Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were…

The Ninth Grade Restructuring Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were…

Occupational and sex equity programs administered by the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Bilingual Education and Equity Issues, and funded through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act were evaluated. Participants in single-parent and sex equity programs completed a series of pretests and posttests that…

This report describes and evaluates an adult literacy education program, Project LEAD (Literacy Education and Development), at the Adrian Public Library (Michigan). The project's objectives were to: recruit functionally illiterate adults and provide reading instruction to improve literacy skills; recruit and train 65 additional volunteer tutors…

This paper describes the origins and early development of the Institute for Technology Assisted Learning (ITAL) at New Mexico State University, which was established to assist faculty with both resources and training to teach in a distributed learning model. ITAL held seminars for eight faculty during a 3-week period in July 1997 with the…

This paper contrasts two perspectives for evaluating educational programs: (1) a growth curve model of personal development in the sociocultural context; and (2) a narrowing staircase model of educational success. According to the first perspective, development occurs along personal, social, and cognitive dimensions, and arises from the…

This report summarizes the activities of the SIFT-OUT program, a federally funded project designed to prepare teams of university faculty, family members, practitioners, and agency representatives from six states, to serve as leaders in providing early intervention training in their states. A total of 166 state-level early intervention leaders…

This document was created as a resource for educators and policymakers regarding English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools, providing a synthesis of the research on teaching and learning to read in English as it relates to students in U.S. public schools who speak little or no English. Focusing attention on children of primary…

This purpose of this guide is to provide qualitative criteria for assessing school library media programs and to furnish a resource for developing and/or improving school library media programs. The intent is to meet the needs of diverse school systems and give direction for implementing library media programs while offering a viable evaluation…

This report describes an evaluation of The Class Moves On!, a relaxation exercise program designed in the Netherlands which encourages elementary students to engage daily in various physical activities in order to increase motivation, improve concentration, raise physical awareness, enhance sensory motor development, and promote self-care and…

The University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children conducted an evaluation of the first phase (1995-1998) of the MOST (Making the Most of Out-of-School Time) Initiative of the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds. The objectives of this initiative were to contribute to the supply, accessibility, affordability, and quality of after-school…

This study compared the success of traditionally prepared student teachers with contextually prepared students from Project Opportunity, which was designed to develop a sense of community among student teachers and between student teachers and college faculty and the faculty, staff, and students of partner schools. Groups of students were surveyed…