The purpose of this study was to examine whether participating in a collaborative intensive service-learning program, Jumpstart, is associated with positive student academic outcomes. Specifically, the retention and graduation rates, and years to degree of students who participated in Jumpstart were compared to students who participated in a…

This article draws upon recent empirical data from a series of in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with professional youth work practitioners. It is focused upon contemporary practice experiences of social action and youth citizenship projects across North East England. The research provides a more nuanced understanding of the National…

The National Math + Science Initiative's (NMSI's) College Readiness Program (CRP) is an established program whose goal is to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in high schools to improve students' readiness for college. It provides teacher, student, and school supports to promote high school students' success in…

Writing is an essential skill for participating in modern American society. Although it is crucial to careers and civic engagement, student writing falls far short of national expectations (College Board, 2004; NCES, 2012; Persky, Daane, & Jin, 2003). The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) seek to increase the rigor of writing instruction…

This last report from Mathematica's evaluation of Upward Bound analyzes data from the final round of survey and transcript data collection as well as administrative records from the National Student Clearinghouse and the federal Student Financial Aid files. It provides the first estimates of the effects of Upward Bound on postsecondary completion.…

This report addresses the following four questions by reporting on the impacts of Head Start on children and families during the children's preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade years: (1) What difference does Head Start make to key outcomes of development and learning (and in particular, the multiple domains of school readiness) for low-income…

This Technical Report is designed to provide technical detail to support the analysis and findings presented in the "Head Start Impact Study Final Report" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, January 2010). Chapter 1 provides an overview of the Head Start Impact Study and its findings. Chapter 2 provides technical information on the…

This article presents the methodology used by the Finnish Education Evaluation Council in the national evaluation of social and communication skills in vocational education and training. The evaluation concentrates on key competences such as learning-to-learn skills, communication skills, social skills and entrepreneurship (Implementation of…

This document was developed to help adult education stakeholders involved in efforts to develop/test/implement a national reporting system of outcome measures documenting students' performance in the federally funded adult education program. The report reviews existing/planned accountability systems, examines major issues involved in developing an…

The process of developing a state education indicators system using the model proposed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is described. The CCSSO model has three components--indicators of educational outcomes; indicators of school policies and practices; and indicators of contextual factors, or state characteristics. The goal is…

This report summarizes Scottish research during 1995 which aimed to assess the take-up, knowledge, understanding, and use of the National Record of Achievement (NRA) in all sectors. The survey found a lack of awareness of the NRA among employers and colleges. One recommendation from the report is for future development and promotion of the NRA in…

An analysis of national programs for monitoring student achievement in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia found that political considerations in all three countries have inhibited the clarification of program objectives and the implementation of the technology required to generate meaningful information capable of reliable…

This report assesses implementation, knowledge, understanding, and use of the National Record of Achievement (NRA) in all sectors in Scotland in 1995. The report also seeks to identify problem areas and examples of good practice and make recommendations for the future development and promotion of the NRA in Scotland. The NRA is a United…

What has been learned from the study of relationships between abilities and outcomes learned in college and those abilities as they are performed at work is summarized to infer principles that should inform a national system to assess the higher order thinking and communications skills of college graduates in support of the National Education Goal…

Noting a general dissatisfaction with the implementation and evaluation of large-scale educational programs, this paper argues that the rational model that is the foundation for large-scale educational programs is faulty. According to the rational model, government mandates call for educational programs to remedy social problems; then rewards and…