Illustrates the contribution that the Student Case Competition of the Canadian Evaluation Society can make to agencies with evaluation needs by describing the experience of an addiction and family services program whose gambling addiction treatment program used as the case in the qualifying round of the 1998 competition. (SLD)

Explains a study in which male drama students, several of whom had behavioral difficulties, engaged in creating two scenes for a community play. Concludes that the play was a catalyst for significant growth in the boys, who valued highly the opportunity to share ownership of the content. Notes certain elements of the creative process need to be…

Examines an after-school intergenerational art program in Lower East Harlem, New York. Residents, aged 62 and older, and secondary school students participated together in social service, oral history, and art making. Found that interactions between teenagers and seniors in art-related activities resulted in several positive educational and social…

Describes the implementation and assessment of a service learning project involving an earth science fair. Points out that service learning provides a novel learning experience. (DDR)

Adaptive and challenging behavior changes associated with movement from Minnesota's state institutions to community homes were examined in 148 participants with mental retardation. Adaptive behavior declined among residents who moved to community programs but was unchanged for persons who moved to Home and Community Based Services Waiver-Funded…

Indices of family contact were reviewed across four cohorts of persons with mental retardation (n=151) who were transferred from a large public institution to small supported living arrangements. Family contact increased subsequent to community placement and these increased levels of contact were maintained for as long as four years. (Contains…

In Las Milpas, a south Texas colonia, 39 children aged 7-12 participated for at least 6 months in an after-school health promotion program that included activities related to communication skills, behavior self-management, and cultural appreciation. Compared to a nonparticipant control group, participating children had higher self-esteem and more…

Reports on a multimethod study of a neighborhood watch program designed to protect inner city school children from violence while traveling from home and school. Analysis indicated that in addition to contributing to perceptions of enhanced safety, the program also served to improve the quality of neighborhood interaction. Discusses implications…

A national survey uncovered 105 (of a sample of 600) projects that met criteria defining local self-development. The activities produced a variety of jobs for local residents. Costs and availability of credit were major obstacles. Local business/industry development projects tended to produce the most jobs at the least cost. (SK)

Maintains that early childhood professionals in Australia and elsewhere need to: (1) consider their roles in a dynamic community with an uncertain future; (2) make known the purpose of early childhood services; and (3) meet the needs of young children and their families. (BB)

Integrating infants with visual impairments into playgroups for nonhandicapped infants and their parents has been successfully accomplished and offers benefits to both infants and parents. A model demonstration project, "Parents and Visually Impaired Infants Project," integrated infants into a community program involving play, music, and…

A quality-of-life index proposed as an outcome and criterion measure for goodness-of-fit between persons and their environments was tested on data from 685 Nebraska community-based mental retardation programs. Administrative and programmatic uses of the information are discussed. (Author/MSE)

A case study of the Arthritis Self-Care Project, a rural community intervention in Virginia, demonstrates the importance of process evaluation in determining the actual independent variable. Instances of reinvention uncovered by the study are explored, and suggestions are provided for dealing with the reinvention inevitable in field research. (TJH)

Helping school crime victims past their indignation and sense of vulnerability has presented New York school officials a challenge tantamount to crime prevention. Discussed are effects of victimization as well as social support, effective help, and support programs for victims. (SI)

Discusses the Young Authors Program, a program sponsored by the Greater Boston Reading Council, which encourages teachers to help students create original illustrated bound books. (MM)