This article reports the results of a preliminary study that applied a randomized posttest-only design to evaluate the effectiveness of a literacy curriculum that incorporated explicit opportunities for Spanish-speaking Head Start preschool children (N = 76) to develop writing abilities in English. The study also addressed English language…

By examining data from interviews with students in the Upward Bound program (a federally sponsored program that provides academic support to students at risk who are preparing for college entrance), this study seeks to strengthen an understanding of the role of trust among urban youth at risk in the educational organizations that serve them. This…

The authors designed and implemented a voluntary reading program that was intended to reduce loss in reading achievement over the summer months, particularly for low-income and ethnic minority children. The program had two major components: (1) providing eight books that were well matched to each child's reading level and interests; and (2)…

Many countries that have undergone expansion of access to public education still face significant disparities in school enrollment and attendance rates at sub-national levels, and fail to reach a high proportion of children who are outside of the government system. Completion and student learning have also continued to be system-wide challenges…

Despite being central to government education policy in many countries, there remains considerable debate about whether resources matter for pupil outcomes. In this paper we look at this question by considering an English education policy initiative--Excellence in Cities--which has been a flagship policy aimed at raising standards in inner-city…

The evaluation literature on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) youth programs is largely absent of quantitative studies, likely in part due to the challenge of using experimental or quasi-experimental evaluation designs. This paper proposes the creative use of a national data set to overcome the problem of estimating a…

According to research, students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have lower rates of high school graduation and university attendance. There is little research regarding interventions to address these issues. The current study compared the effects of two programs designed to increase academic motivation. Forty-seven high…

Background: Early intervention programmes can minimize the negative impacts of poverty on children's development and learning. The success of these programmes relies on considering several interrelated components, including, but not limited to, working with parents as partners, using a holistic approach in educating children and supporting…

More than 10 million children from birth through age six in the US live in low-income families. Although large investments in early childhood intervention programs are evident, is the field fully exploiting its potential to address the diverse needs of children and families? One means of addressing this question is to focus on the efficacy of…

This paper reports on the re-design of the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) programme, which is offered by the University of Pretoria through distance education (DE) to teachers in rural South Africa. In 2007, a team re-designed the programme with the goal of promoting access, quality, and student support. The team included an independent…

Over the past 2 decades, a considerable and consistent body of evaluation evidence has accumulated indicating that the public policies and programs created during that period for disadvantaged youth have not resulted in significant, long-term changes in the lives of those youth. Data say that an increasing number and percent of youth are…

This report evaluates programs of Chapter 1 and migrant education in the Austin Independent School District (AISD, Texas) during 1991-92. The program provided funding for supplementary reading and mathematics instruction to 28 elementary schools including discretionary funds for 16 designated high-priority schools due to the enrollment of 75…

The Allen J. Ellender Fellowship Program provides fellowships to economically disadvantaged secondary school students, secondary school teachers and administrators, and economically disadvantaged older citizens, and recent immigrants for participation in the Close Up Foundation's week-long civics education programs in Washington, D.C. The Close Up…

The Even Start Family Literacy Program, in its fourth year of operation, provides a literacy environment based on the Family Intergenerational-Interaction Literacy Model (FILM) in the southwest area of Oklahoma City. The FILM model is designed to provide a family literacy education program for parents, extended family, and their preschool children…

The America Reads challenge makes a national commitment to the goal that every child will read independently and well by the end of the third grade. The primary means of achieving this goal is to place one million volunteers in schools to tutor children in reading. However, little is known about the effectiveness of using volunteer tutors in the…