This program evaluation study examined the relationship between Problem Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) training and technical assistance and educator and implementation outcomes following the first year of a 3-year project. Educators from 40 pilot schools in eight districts participating in the study received ongoing professional…

Purpose: This paper aims to compare the ways in which a range of quality frameworks have been validated and to identify a number of factors that have an impact on validation processes. Design/methodology/approach: Seven examples of published quality frameworks applicable to the field of e-learning are described and the methods used to validate…

Context: A 3-year pilot program to expand the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) in the Washington State workers' compensation system was implemented in 2004 (SHB 1691), amid concern about disparities in access to health care for injured workers in rural areas. SHB 1691 authorized NPs to independently perform most functions of an attending…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the use of technology on students' mathematics achievement, particularly the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) mathematics results. Eleven schools within the Miami-Dade County Public School System participated in a pilot program on the use of Geometers Sketchpad (GSP). Three of…

Informal carers of an adult with mental illness have asked that respite care be an integral component of mental health service provision. The present study involved a pilot investigation of the effectiveness of accessing respite care for carers of individuals with a mental illness. It was hypothesised that compared to carers who have not accessed…

This manuscript documents the perceptions of teachers and learners towards the Regenerated Freirean Literacy Empowerment and Community Techniques (REFLECT) approach in the delivery of literacy in Ngamiland District, Botswana. It suggests that REFLECT changed the perceptions, lives, and work experiences of learners and teachers. REFLECT caused…

The need for successful nutrition interventions is critical as the prevalence of childhood obesity increases. Thus, this pilot project examines the effect of a nutrition education program, "Color My Pyramid", on children's nutrition knowledge, self-care practices, activity levels, and nutrition status. Using a pretest-posttest,…

This technical brief examines whether, after two years of implementation, schools in Massachusetts using quarterly benchmark exams aligned with state standards in middle school mathematics showed greater gains in student achievement than those not doing so. A quasi-experimental design, using covariate matching and comparative interrupted…

Set in a context of increasing competition and changing dimensions of internationalisation, the paper offers an analysis of one institution's approach to changing its strategy and practice in the light of both the external context and the internal drivers to internationalise. The research methodology was based on OECD/IMHE's Internationalisation…

This paper attempts to compare the availability, quality, similarities and differences of students' support services in United Kingdom Open University (UKOU) and Sri Lanka Open University (SLOU) and also to identify and enlist the deficiencies that SLOU students are facing in the student support services. To get the desired end four hundred…

Describes a pilot study that tested a Macintosh computerized speech version and a paper-and-pencil version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies--Depression scale for screening adult depression symptoms. Equivalence, reliability, and participant preferences are examined, and future research is suggested. (40 references) (LRW)

This report presents results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading and mathematics at grade 12. Results for students in the nation and, for the first time, in the 11 states that volunteered to participate in the 2009 state pilot program are reported as average scores and as percentages of students performing at…

There is little agreement concerning which methods of preschool intervention are most effective. In order to evaluate several approaches to early childhood education, Project Head Start, in conjunction with Project Follow Through, has initiated the Planned Variation program. This year only a pilot project is underway with eight schools…

Existing programs, policies and practices as they affect the older adult student in Ontario universities were investigated. Interview data were collected from adult students about their experiences in the light of the policies described, and a number of obstacles to successful study encountered by these students were identified. A statistical…

Specially designed materials were used for a class that combined the teaching of beginning shorthand and beginning typing in a 50-minute period. A comparison was made (1) between the typing skill of the combined class and a beginning typing class taught in the traditional manner and meeting 50 minutes daily and (2) the shorthand skill gained by…