The paper addresses three questions: (1) What are the most successful techniques for measuring the effects of early childhood development (ECD) programs? (2) What are likely trends of future evaluations? and (3) How can future trends take into account recent research in developmental psychology? Predictions are made on the basis of trends in ECD…

As the number and scope of school-based clinics grow, interest in their evaluation increases. Evaluation of a comprehensive school-based clinic program in New York City revealed methodological issues in evaluation of these programs. The first issue involves program goals and objectives. Even before program implementation, the evaluator should…

Although important progress has been made in educational evaluation during the past decade new problems believed to be more serious threaten the progress that has been made. These problems are said to be a mixture of logistics and politics and are in large part an outgrowth of the increasing pluralism of American society. (Author/AM)

Four papers discuss research exchanges between the United States and the USSR and East Europe. The first paper considers the evolution of perceptions of social scientists in these countries during the Cold War and Detente. The dominant view of American researchers during the Cold War was that the United States, as the most modern society, was the…

This paper discusses the problems and benefits of conducting research in a small institution. Problems related to personnel, finances, expertise, and credibility, and advantages such as communication and cooperation are described. The University of Lethbridge has created a common data-gathering system, QAULTEP (Qualitative Analysis of the…

THE MANY ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM THE RECENT EMPHASIS UPON IMPROVING EDUCATION SHOULD CONCERN THE MAJOR PROBLEMS, RESEARCH TOPICS, AND PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SUGGESTED SYSTEM OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION BOOKKEEPING IN WHICH RESULTS ARE REVIEWED BY APPROPRIATE STAFF AND RESOURCE PERSONNEL FROM BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES.…

This paper is a review of some of the issues, dilemmas, and constraints in the evaluation of juvenile corrections. Included are such problems as: (1) adequate assessment criteria; (2) insufficient controls in experimental designs; (3) the conflict between humaneness and effectiveness; and (4) the measurement of program goals. A critique of six…

Planned Variation was deisgned as a three-year program to assess the implementation of prominent preschool curricula in Head Start and the immediate effects of the programs. Sites used were those in which the sponsor already had a Follow Through program; the research project lacked the necessary control over site characteristics. Consultants…

Threshold analysis (TA) is introduced as an evaluation model. TA converts unknown variables into questions as to whether a given benefit, cost, or success probability is more or less than a threshold, above which the proposed project would be profitable, and below which it would be unprofitable. (Author/PN)

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federally funded program providing supplemental food and nutrition services to lower-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women and also serves infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk. Included in these services are nutrition…

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether differing time intervals between the conclusion of the Summer Orienation Program at Colorado State University and the follow-up assessment of the program yield different results. Such differentiation was not found. (Author/RP)

This article summarizes suggestions in a review and synthesis publication developed by Dr. Kenneth Little for the ERIC Clearinghouse on Vocational and Technical Education at The Ohio State University. (GB)

The advantages and disadvantages of the evaluation of school health services in the Eugene, Oregon, public school district are discussed as an illustrative case study. The methodology of the work is presented; evaluation results are analyzed; and the reactions of board members and health services personnel are described. (Author/PN)

The evaluators of Push/Excel assumed that it was a systematically developed program with measurable outcomes, not a charismatically inspired movement whose effects would be hard to pin down. As a result, neither the program nor the evaluation approach used were adequately tested. (Author)