This paper describes a seminar for premedical students aimed at preventing their later disillusionment and distress as medical trainees by fostering realistic expectations and emotional exploration. The seminar consisted of discussions between premedical students and medical trainees/practitioners about stress and coping and included a physician…

Reviews the experimental literature concerning the effectiveness of prenatal and newborn home visiting programs in improving the lives of children and families, focusing on studies employing randomized trials. Results suggest that home visiting programs have had mixed success, improving some outcomes but not others. (MDM)

A family literacy program used "Be Excited about Reading" bags, which contained quality children's books and family activities that extended the classroom theme to be taken home by at-risk prekindergarten and kindergarten students. The literacy bags reached all families, encouraged family/school partnerships promoting children's learning, affected…

Describes and evaluates a program developed within the English Centre at the University of Hong Kong to assist students who are required to present dissertations in English. The program is based on data collected from detailed interviews with graduate supervisors and from a survey of graduate students. (Author/JL)

Montana developed an alternative certification program for special educators in response to severe personnel shortages in rural schools. Program strengths include 2 years of mentoring and flexibility in delivery that allows participants to earn certification while working. Evaluation results are presented along with suggested improvements, which…

There is widespread understanding of the need to evaluate teacher education programs. Unfortunately, the history of teacher education program evaluations is spotty, evolutionary, and limited in scope. Probably the most fundamental reason that program evaluations are limited is that there has not been a clear, consistent, and shared framework for…

This article reports on an internship project developed by the Department for Education and Skills (UK) to prepare headteachers (principals) for schools facing challenging circumstances. The project placed experienced deputies (assistant principals) in secondary schools to work alongside mentor headteachers who had demonstrated leadership…

Contemporary school administrators play a daunting array of roles. They must be educational visionaries and change agents, instructional leaders, curriculum and assessment experts, budget analysts, facility managers, special program administrators, and community builders. New expectations for schools--that they successfully teach a broad range of…

The Optimal Aging Program (OAP) at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine is a longitudinal mentoring program that pairs students with older adults who are considered to be aging "successfully." This credit-bearing elective was initially established in 2001 through a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation, and aims to expand…

This project involved a program for improving student behavior. The targeted population consisted of second and third grade students in a rural community located west of Chicago, Illinois. Data indicated that behavior problems were disrupting instructional time and students' involvement in learning. The evidence for the existence of the problem…

This report includes summaries of activities and accomplishments in the state's efforts to implement performance standards and core measures as well as programs in the following: (1) secondary, postsecondary, and adult occupational; (2) single parent, displaced homemaker, and single pregnant women; (3) sex equity; (4) criminal offenders; (5)…

A study described the 1990-91 and 1991-92 Chapter 1 Developer/Demonstration Program, Learning to Read through the Arts (LTRTA), and evaluated the effectiveness of its implementation. The program offers intensive holistic reading and reading-oriented arts instruction to Chapter 1-eligible students, using an interdisciplinary, thematic approach that…

This study explored the range of service program approaches to promote college attendance, described typical programs, and reviewed issues related to program evaluation. A reputational sample of programs was obtained through interviews with 5 national higher-education organizations and 10 state departments of education, and through a literature…

The final performance report for a national workplace literacy grant-funded project in Arlington County, Virginia, is presented. This 2-year project provided on-site English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL), literacy, and basic skills training to workers in five targeted industries. Partners were the REEP Program of the Arlington Public Schools, the…

This book presents reviews of programs for elementary and secondary schools that are widely available and have some evidence of effectiveness in terms of student achievement. It also discusses district-level strategies for introducing proven programs. The comprehensive and objective evidence offered will help school and district administrators…