As part of an effort to identify the most promising ways in which private initiatives and public policy might reduce the number of adolescents who use drugs, this study presents a broad review of the scientific literature on the nature of drug use and the effectiveness of drug law enforcement, treatment, and prevention programs. It evaluates the…

The final report documents accomplishments of a project designed to establish a full time continuing education program for severely multiply handicapped young adults. The Over-21 project was further designed to establish a widely replicable, innovative, model educational program as an alternative to the traditional "day care" focus of…

The Arizona Principals' Academy was first held in 1984 to enable principals to share practices promoting school effectiveness and to personalize their roles as instructional leaders. The goals of the program included informing the principals of current thinking, practices, and strategies; providing practical training to meet identified needs;…

Two hundred and sixty-eight school administrators attended the 1985 Arizona Principals' Academy to share practices promoting school effectiveness and to personalize their roles as educational leaders. The academy's five major goals were (1) to inform principals about current thinking and practices, (2) to provide ways to implement successful…

The report presents findings of a parent-organized and parent-conducted evaluation of special education services in Montclair, New Jersey. Parents visited classrooms (resource rooms and self-contained classes) and interviewed staff. Findings and recommendations address the following topics: identification of children (classification by school and…

This document describes three programs in the juvenile rehabilitation field: (1) VisionQuest, the Tucson-based program that works with youths in wilderness camps, on wagon trains, or in other high impact/adventure formats rather than in conventional residential settings; (2) Paint Creek Youth Center, a small, experimental, staff-secure program in…

Brief case studies of three projects are presented to illustrate the steps which open "Wonderful Programs" to evaluation research. The evaluator is provided with the perspective needed to believe the evaluation is worth doing. The project staff is then redirected to the need for a new type of evidence. An ongoing review of the commitment…

One of 16 units designed for use in an Open University course on the education of handicapped students in the United Kingdom, this booklet analyzes the contribution of research to progress in special education and examines the relationship between empirical knowledge and moral principles in making educational decisions. An introductory section…

Content analysis of critical events methodology is demonstrated in an evaluation of the Educational Telecommunications for Alaska (ETA) Project. This methodology was used to collect and interpret the data derived from the ETA staff personnel representing five components of the project. The data were analyzed using content analysis procedures. The…

While there is a recognized need for new and better ways to train soldiers to fight, many training programs developed in response to this need are used poorly or not at all. In part, the failure to use these training programs stems from the lack of established procedures for monitoring implementation and evaluating use. Effective monitoring can…

The paper examines the need for improvement in accountability and evaluation in rehabilitation programs for handicapped persons, with an emphasis on formative, or internal evaluation. Three factors significantly related to program management and accountability are explored: a client's need status, staff functions and attitudes, and outcome…

The effectiveness and theoretical validity of Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), based on neuromotor development among nonhandicapped infants and young children, was investigated across seven cerebral palsied, severely handicapped children, ages 2 1/2 to 12 years. Results indicated that training had a statistically significant effect for four…

Texas' eighth annual evaluation of state-approved gifted/talented programs consists of four components: (1) an evaluation of operational programs; (2) a case study of high school gifted/talented programs; (3) an evaluation of developmental programs; and (4) a survey of districts without state-approved gifted/talented programs. The evaluation of…

An approach to enhancing program quality in educational institutions through program mapping is presented in this report. First, the objective of program mapping is specified as a means to evaluate and clarify the learning outcomes of a college's educational programs; and its use as a graphic representation of the interdependent relationships…

A study was made of the clinical experiences, offered by Southeast Missouri State University, for students preparing to be teachers. The study was conducted to determine if modifications in the current system would make possible reallocation of resources, while at the same time preserving the quality of clinical experiences for the students. The…