Children and youth who reside in economically disadvantaged households and in low-resource, urban neighborhoods are more likely to lose ground in math and reading over the summer than their higher-income peers. Although summer learning programs are a promising strategy for narrowing this achievement gap, surveys indicate that only 25 to 36 percent…

Rising remediation rates among college students are leading to increased time for completion of degree, additional costs for students and colleges, and financial aid being used on courses that do not count towards a degree. In response to these issues, in 2007 the state of Illinois passed the College and Career Readiness Act, Public Act 095-0694,…

To prevent summer achievement loss and help ensure Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for all students as mandated by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), school districts are enacting summer enrichment programs. To determine effectiveness, additional student assessments are often required and instructional time is reduced. The goals of this study were to…

This is the NSF 1970 Summer Institute Participant Questionnaire, consisting of seven sections with a total of 105 items, and its covering letter. (For related documents, see TM 002 379, 382.) (DB)

Suggestions are offered for planning and communicating what is done in summer agricultural programs through an outline format that is divided into four stages: plan, execute, report, and revise. (EA)

This study describes the results of a research evaluation of a school dropout prevention program and adolescents' self-reported perceptions of their motivations and role models. The program was a partnership between an urban university and an urban school district that was designed to prevent 9th grade students from dropping out of high school. It…

For the last three years Delaware State University (DSU) and the University of Vermont (UVM) have implemented a new approach to a summer program or "Institute" that emphasizes evaluation and accountability. Beginning in 2005, both institutes changed the focus of their programs to fulfill not only the primary objectives of instilling…

THIS SUMMER PROGRAM FOR HANDICAPPED CHILDREN WAS DESIGNED TO MEET THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF THESE CHILDREN FOR SOCIALIZATION AND BETTER USE OF LEISURE TIME AND TO PROVIDE DATA WHICH WOULD ENABLE THE DIVISION OF MUNICIPAL RECREATION AND ADULT EDUCATION OF THE MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO PLAN FUTURE PROGRAMS. BOTH THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN'S…

As part of the evaluation of the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) 1970 Summer Reading Program, a Parent Evaluation Form was distributed at the conclusion of the program. This form was sent home with 342 pupils whose parents were invited to participate with them in the program. The summary given in this report includes information received…

An evaluation report is presented for a 1975 summer program for 25 6- to 12-year-old autistic children in New York City. Evaluative procedures are described, and student ratings in four skill areas (basic life skills, orientation to learning, cognitive skills, and socialization) are explained. Final results are said to indicate that all Ss…

Describes the development and validation of a self-report instrument for measuring resiliency in youth for recreation and other social services, noting that the instrument is not yet ready for use under all conditions and that while use of structural equation modeling removes some subjectivity, results of this type of analysis are still left to…

The Exploratorium is home to XTech, a science education program which began in 2006 and was primarily funded by a three-year National Science Foundation grant (Award # 05-25217) through its ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) initiative. XTech provided project-based afterschool activities in science, engineering,…

The literature indicates that the demand for program evaluations is likely to increase and that those evaluations will be conducted across diverse disciplines. Preparation of discipline-specific evaluators may present challenges. This study reviews the experiences of a group of arts educators who participated in a discipline-specific evaluation…

Claremont College feels it has achieved greater punch by splitting Upward Bound into concurrent sessions at three different locations. (Editor)

A rationale for using better research designs in evaluating gifted programs is considered. Some definitions of research designs are presented along with evaluation results of a summer program at Northwestern University. The role of research design in evaluating course products, and attitudes is examined via a case study. (Author/CL)