Describes a series of workshops offering women an opportunity to explore the realities of divorce. Experienced volunteers provide information on coping with a new single identity, handling children, finances and legal aspects and growth through the mastery of crisis. A follow-up study confirmed the value of the program. (JAC)

Discusses the need for better integration of theory and measurement in the design and evaluation of marital communication skills training programs. Recommendations are presented for the use of self-report measures of marital communication and the evaluation of the family theory used in program design. (Author/JAC)

Review of rural social work literature of the 1970's indicates research has primarly followed the naturalistic model defined by Taylor, rather than the positivist approach favored by Fischer. Discussed are: surveys and case studies; ethnographies; participatory/action research; historical research; positivistic research; hypothesis testing…

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a mathematical model for measuring decision-making units' efficiency, was applied to resource allocation information in the division of occupational and technical programs at San Antonio (Texas) College. Input-output data were used to analyze existing programs' efficiency and proposed program modifications. (RW)

Describes specific factors contributing to questionable validity and reliability of cost information used by mental health administrators. Presents a case study in which 17 different cost figures were derived for a single program using various methods currently employed. Discusses implications of nonuniform cost data. (Author/RC)

The goal model is appropriate for evaluating effectiveness in complex service organizations because there are measurable outputs. An empirical method is provided for the identification and measurement of organizational goals. Perception of effectiveness could be improved if goals were made to coincide with the desires of user groups. (DWH)

The consumer of a service is of primary importance when defining groups most concerned with program impact. Program effectiveness for the consumer may be increased through the use of certain guiding principles based on the extension of existing quality assurance and program evaluation methodologies. (Author/RL)

Sections address service delivery, parent/family participation, staffing roles, training, and product development. Evidence of effectiveness of early intervention programs and information on the cost of providing services is presented. Journal availability; see EC 133 846. (Author/SB)

Two organization development consultants describe and evaluate the two basic consulting methods, the process-consultation model and the doctor-patient model, and provide "readiness" criteria checklists for both the client and patient models. They state that each consulting approach has its place, depending on situational factors. (MF)

Components of an effective inservice plan are pointed out and models for behavior management inservice to deal with behavior problems are described. (SBH)

The authors sketch the historical factors which led to the decline, in the 1970s, of graduate teacher internship programs as an alternative to traditional student teaching. They then discuss the positive features of internship programs, particularly the Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and the Teacher Corps models. (SJL)

The study measured the effectiveness of a drug counselling program to achieve behavioral, attitudinal and informational change of the participants. Significant changes were found in responses to knowledge inventories on medical and legal aspects of drug abuse and on behavioral dimensions of increased listening skills and ability to analyse…

This eight chapters of this special issue introduce the use of a template to specify program components as a new tool for program evaluation. The template articulates the components needed for program delivery and provides a systematic method for assessing program implementation. (SLD)

Examines how various groups at Far West, a professional school, interpret the implementation of a two-way video and audio videoteleducation (VTE) distance learning system. Analyzes why different groups interpreted the technology in fundamentally different ways. Creates a model that examines the effects that dominant organizational groups'…

Discussion of why many experimental educational programs seem promising initially but disappointing when widely applied leads to detailed examination of the concept of "explanation." A proposed model for planning classroom work involves: (1) focusing students on the nature of the problem; (2) orienting pupils to a theoretical construct; and (3)…