Discusses four approaches to assessing the quality of early childhood program: top-down, which focuses on the adult's view of setting, equipment, and the program; bottom-up, focusing on children's experience; outside-inside, emphasizing the family's view; and societal, in which agencies and communities assess programs. (LB)

Documents the similarities and differences between the national Head Start program and the Illinois state program for at-risk four-year olds called the Prekindergarten Program for Children at Risk of Academic Failure. (HB)

This study investigated the educational process used in tumor boards (cancer case conferences) and whether the process varied based on type of board, frequency of meetings, and presence or absence of residency training programs in the hospital. These data were collected through observation of 715 board sessions of 37 hospitals and 43 tumor boards.…

Whether Effective Patient Teaching (EPT), a health professions continuing education course, could be effectively taught by trainers who were not course developers was studied for four nurse managers trained in EPT and seven who were not. Effectiveness of training and value of the EPT program were supported. (SLD)

Describes the difficulties involved with bringing about substantive change in schools. Claims that ancillary programs often fail to change much within schools. Advocates the critical examination of any program proposal, and lists the most valuable questions administrators must ask about proposed change. (HB)

Describes the ESP Model for Learning program, a supervisor leadership program that ties training to the performance goals of the work unit. The ESP program's most critical component, the Supervisory Competency Assessment Process, is detailed. Concluding comments discuss what is being learned from the program's results, and the work-related…

Reviews of evaluation reports on 12 adult basic education (ABE) and 5 basic living skills programs were used to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of those programs. Findings indicate that ABE programs show promise for decreasing recidivism. (JOW)

Reviewed evaluation studies of school-based drug prevention programs published from 1993-99 to identify significant program features that could influence the success of drug prevention education. Results found that programs components varied significantly. Programs employing a social-influence model varied in their effectiveness depending on the…

Evaluated a Writing for Publication program aimed at enabling academic writers to improve their public output. Monitoring of individuals throughout the program provided evidence of success in terms of "hard" outcomes, such as journal publications and conference presentations, and "soft" outcomes, such as increased confidence and motivation,…

Student transportation complexities make evaluating a program's cost and quality very difficult. The first step in measuring performance is defining an operation's functional components: level of service delivery, units of service, and cost of services. Other considerations include routing, logistics, and fleet maintenance and support operations.…

Discusses the elements of a successful project evaluation that helps determine whether projects are worth funding because they are making a positive difference in student learning and achievement. A successful project evaluation involving the Manchester (New Hampshire) public school district's infrastructure is highlighted. (GR)

The North Carolina Transition Services Survey, designed to evaluate the impact of federally-funded transition systems change grant, was completed by 76 of 116 school systems. Analysis evaluated relationships between types of transition services, implementation strategies, and delivery of best practices. Systems that focused on implementing…

Evaluated 30 Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) projects in Ontario, Canada. CAPC is a Canadian federal government initiative that funds community groups in activities supporting child development and strengthening families. Identified categories of program activities and project outcomes, and found that most projects have adopted…

Implemented a comprehensive, school-based instructional and social-competency-promotion program to prevent problem behavior in a middle school. Evaluation of the five-year program showed that it was ineffective, with no dependable results on youth behavior. Discusses implications of these findings. (SLD)

This commentary discusses three major factors that are reshaping the field of behavioral support: change in the outcomes of research/intervention, change in the comprehensive nature of interventions, and change in the contexts in which research is conducted. The focus on broader outcomes, comprehensive support, and real contexts is emphasized. (CR)