Many states have implemented or expanded state-funded prekindergarten programs in the last decade, encouraged by claims about the benefits that can be expected and the importance of early experiences for children's development, especially for economically disadvantaged children. However, there is remarkably little methodologically adequate…

This report presents findings stemming from the first-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, one of several statewide performance incentive programs in Texas. In June 2006, Governor Perry and the 79th Texas Legislature created the Governor's Educator Excellence Award Program, one component of which is the TEEG…

This report presents findings from the second-year evaluation of the Governor's Educator Excellence Grant (GEEG) program. The GEEG program was federally- and state-funded and provided three-year grants to schools to design and implement performance pay plans from the 2005-06 to 2007-08 school years. GEEG was implemented in 99 high poverty, high…

An interim report on the congressionally mandated National Study of Student Support Services (SSS) focuses on the characteristics of college freshmen program participants and on the level and type of services they receive. The federally funded grant program is designed to help economically disadvantaged students achieve success at the…

Federal census district data for 1974 are used to produce a global index showing the relative degree to which each of the census districts of the island of Montreal is disadvantaged. The internal dynamics and characteristics peculiar to the different local communities within are not specified and necessitate additional data sources such as health,…

During summer 1991, a study reviewed efforts of local agencies to implement the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program. Three local sites in each of 10 states were examined. The field research showed that formal client flowcharts designed by the states and local sites were not yet fully operational and often did not describe actual…

The purpose of this paper is to provide the background and objectives of an evaluation study of Upward Bound (UB), a nationwide program to help selected low income high school students prepare for and enter post secondary education. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the accomplishment of two of the program's major objectives, to increase…

This report presents findings from the second year of a multi-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program and background information about the design and implementation of the District Awards for Teacher Excellence (DATE) program. The TEEG and DATE programs operating in Texas make up the largest state-funded performance…

Building upon the body of knowledge re: rural cooperatives generated by the Office of Economic Opportunity and its research and demonstration programs, this paper proposes a design for a national program of Federal support for cooperatives serving the rural poor. Specifically, this paper presents: (1) the basic situation of the rural poor and the…

As part of a 3-year study of the implementation of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program, front-line workers were surveyed in all 10 states and in 29 of 30 sites included in the overall study. Their perceptions of the agencies' organizational environments suggested a rather lukewarm agency context for implementing JOBS. Workers…

Upward mobility programs in the service sector for low-skilled, economically disadvantaged, and dislocated or displaced workers promote employment security, career development, and productivity. Two basic types of upward mobility programs are basic and job-specific skills training. Although 60-80 percent of all employer-sponsored formal training…

An analysis was made of the case histories of two Georgia State University (GSU) "cooperative models" for the delivery of career education and formal academic services to economically disadvantaged groups. One of the models served primarily black, primarily female Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) participants by providing…

This volume contains technical and supporting materials that supplement Volume I, which describes upward mobility programs for disadvantaged and dislocated workers in the service sector. Appendix A is a detailed description of the project methodology, including data collection methods and information on data compilation, processing, and analysis.…

A study identified causal linkages and basic interrelationships among components of the Career Intern Program (CIP) and observed outcomes. (The CIP is an alternative high school designed to enable disadvantaged and alienated dropouts or potential dropouts to earn regular high school diplomas, to prepare them for meaningful employment or…

Student financial assistance has long been a means to promote access to postsecondary education and attainment of college degrees. Numerous types of financial aid programs have proliferated over the years, including a relatively new concept that specifically targets high-risk, low-income students, focusing not just on getting them to go to college…