A report from the School Choice Demonstration Project examines issues concerning the funding formula used for the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). It finds that the program generates a net saving to taxpayers in Wisconsin but imposes a significant fiscal burden on taxpayers in Milwaukee. However, these findings depend significantly on how…

Preparation of this paper aided by Grant MH-11521 from the National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Public Health Service.

Contends that success of supported employment service programs depends on the ability of new programs to replicate results of supported work demonstration projects. Notes that the capacity to verify accurate replication independently is limited, as is knowledge of the extent to which supported employment demonstration programs generalize to a wide…

This special issue presents results of a multisite, multiyear national demonstration project designed to test the effectiveness of integrating street outreach programs aimed at preventing HIV infection with referral to substance abuse treatment for populations that historically have been difficult to reach (Author/SLD)

Preparation of this paper facilitated by Grant GS-1741 from the Division of Social Sciences of the National Science Foundation.

THE MANY ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM THE RECENT EMPHASIS UPON IMPROVING EDUCATION SHOULD CONCERN THE MAJOR PROBLEMS, RESEARCH TOPICS, AND PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SUGGESTED SYSTEM OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION BOOKKEEPING IN WHICH RESULTS ARE REVIEWED BY APPROPRIATE STAFF AND RESOURCE PERSONNEL FROM BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES.…

A methodology is developed based on axiomatic conjoint measurement to accompany a fertility decision-making model. The usefulness of the model is then demonstrated via an application to a study of contraceptive choice (N=100 male and female family-planning clinic clients). Finally, the validity of the model is evaluated. (TJH)

Three possible versions of Project Follow Through are discussed to explore the kinds of knowledge that each approach would yield and to describe alternative ways in which the program could maintain the unique feature of federal coordination of research. Versions compared include (1) a federally coordinated research program designed to generate…

Measuring change when true experimental conditions do not exist is a difficult process. This article reviews the artifacts of change measurement in evaluations and quasi-experimental designs, delineates considerations in choosing a model to measure change under nonideal conditions, and suggests ways to organize models to facilitate selection.…

Four influential studies on school effectiveness reported by Brookover and Lezotte (1979), Edmonds and Frederiksen (1979), Phi Delta Kappa (1980), and Rutter and others (1979) are limited in their usefulness as recipes for creating effective schools by the following four issues: (1) The four studies differ in their definition of what…

Several problems exist with the rural knowledge base as it is traditionally conceived: (1) there is no useful rural definition with the diverse rural reality; (2) rural is undervalued as reflected in teacher education and training and in the stereotyping of regions in the country; (3) issues of sparsity, scarcity and size are disregarded, and (4)…

The site variability issue for Direct Instruction Follow Through sites is examined from a variety of perspectives--meta-analysis of the Abt Associates' data, norm-referenced comparisons, and a longitudinal look at stability of effects. Much of the seemingly unexplained variability found in both the Abt report and the reports by M. Kennedy and E.…

Argues that shortcomings in program implementation and evaluation contributed to failure to demonstrate effectiveness of the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP). Articulates lessons from the CCDP, including addressing roles of demonstration projects and their evaluations, problems in evaluation early in program implementation, the…

This paper explores how youth programs, particularly programs that try to prepare young people for the world of work and higher education, are organized and implemented in the field. It is argued that, in many cases, the needs of program practitioners are overlooked by the research community. The focus is on the field of "second-chance"…

This paper reports the problems involved in measuring the extent to which the practice in program sites matches model theory formulated in Head Start Planned Variation. The main focus in studying program implementation is the question of internal validity, whether the children in the HSPV programs actually receive the treatment being evaluated.…