In the past 15 years, four-year-olds' enrollment in state-funded prekindergarten in the United States has more than doubled, with roughly one-third now enrolled. Although researchers have found that early childhood programs from decades ago had sizable benefits for students that lasted into adulthood, evidence from more recent (and less expensive)…

The paper analyses the status and characteristics of adult literacy campaigns and programmes since 2000. Global trends are analysed in terms of the ten key aspects of the suggested framework for successful literacy campaigns and programmes. Four case studies on major literacy campaigns in Brazil, India, South Africa and Indonesia are used to…

This digest reviews various longitudinal studies that examined the long-term effects of programs that served young children living in poverty and at risk of school failure. Concerning program effects on school performance, all studies that collected data on children's intellectual performance found that their program groups had better intellectual…

This measuring instrument was designed for use by school boards, advisory groups, faculty, students, and the general public in evaluating vocational and technical education programs. Desired program characteristics are presented in check list format and may be arranged along a five-point rating scale to ascertain the degree of agreement with…

Responds to criticism of Head Start by outlining Head Start's goals and design; reviewing research studies of the program's effectiveness; discussing the cost of funding quality programs; and providing examples of expanded Head Start programs that serve infants, toddlers, and school age children, and examples of creative uses of supplementary…

To assess the effectiveness of the child care delivery system in Evanston, Illinois, a study was conducted of parent and caregiver perceptions of the affordability, availability, accessibility, and quality of local child care services. Questionnaires were distributed to the directors of 14 local child care centers and to 832 parents currently…

The way that remediation affects the costs and the academic quality of higher education is discussed, and approaches to dealing with these problems are addressed. Recent increases in the number of underprepared students entering college have resulted in a greater need for remedial education to prepare them for college-level work. In addition to…

A description of the 1974-75 Michigan Cost-Effectiveness Study and its findings is provided in this study. The present study is restricted to compensatory education reading programs. Its purpose is the development of the analytical techniques reflected in the cost-effectiveness model. A purpose of the study is the investigation of the direction of…

This report from the Comptroller General to the United States Congress finds Head Start to be an effective program whose fund distribution formula needs revision and whose management controls need improvement. Head Start's funding for enrollment and operating costs increased significantly between 1977-81. However, these funding increases were not…

Data for an examination of budget analysis in continuing education were collected using personal interviews with the continuing program directors at four institutions. The institutions represented public and private, degree and nondegree continuing education programs. Despite practitioner-oriented data to draw upon, a literature review identified…

A hearing was held to discuss the future of Project Head Start. Witnesses from corporations offered testimony supporting the strengthening of early childhood education, particularly Head Start, and urging the federal government to give increased attention to early childhood education. Subsequent testimony from experts, program directors, and…

A 23-month evaluation of the Cooperative Demonstration Program (High Technology) assessed the extent to which grant applications selected for funding presented a clear and coherent design for the projects, project designs were successfully implemented, and project costs were reasonable in relation to projected or actual outcomes. Findings were…

In 1995, efforts to develop Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system focused on implementing Australia's first national strategy for VET, Towards a Skilled Australia. All stakeholders in VET worked to advance Australia's national strategy for VET, which revolved around the following four themes: responsiveness (maximizing…

Common factors among high-performing distance learning (DL) programs were examined through case studies at 9 further education colleges and 2 nonsector organizations in the United Kingdom and a backup survey of a sample of 50 distance learners at 5 of the colleges. The study methodology incorporated numerous principles of process benchmarking. The…

Training in the motor vehicle repair and sales sector in the Netherlands was examined in a study that included the following approaches: review of the sector's structure/characteristics, institutional and social context, employment practices, changing conditions, and available education and training; in-depth case studies of four auto repair shops…