Developing instructional programing priorities and planning program improvements require an understanding of how effectively program objectives are being met. A formalized process for evaluating programs has been developed at Vancouver Community College as an aid in these and other aspects of instructional planning. (SSH)

Reports on the first intensive evaluation of the Private Sector Initiative Program. Recommends that Congress and the Labor Department should refrain from changing PSIP's structure, allow time for it to develop fully at the local level, continue to observe local developments closely, and learn from the experience. (CT)

The Florida Division of Vocational Education has developed a system to help educators correct problems identified during program review. The local program improvement plan as a follow-up to vocational program review is a management strategy supported by legislative intent and direction. (JOW)

The Citizens Changing Communities program trained advisory boards in time and meeting management, conflict management, problem solving, goal setting, action planning, and decision making. Although evaluations revealed high interest in program content and delivery methods, actual participation did not match responses. A holistic approach focused on…

The growing interest in youth development, prevention, and assessment has challenged professional practices relative to the design, implementation, and evaluation of youth development programs. This article sheds light on the need for continuous training and staff development in the areas of program development and documentation, using the…

State oversight for teacher preparation programs mostly ignores the impact of graduates on the K-12 students they teach, and it gives little attention to where graduates teach or how long they remain in the profession. There is no evidence that current state policies hold programs to high standards in order to produce teachers who can help…

Our current system for holding U.S. teacher education programs accountable doesn't guarantee program quality or serve the needs of schools and students. State oversight for teacher preparation programs mostly ignores the impact of graduates on the K-12 students they teach, and it gives little attention to where graduates teach or how long they…

Since the first child care Quality Rating System (QRS) was implemented in Oklahoma 11 years ago (in 1998), 16 additional statewide systems have been launched and numerous states are piloting or developing a QRS (Zaslow, Tout, & Martinez-Beck, forthcoming). As QRS stakeholders across the nation look ahead to the next decade, it is important to take…

This report presents early findings from the Enhanced Reading Opportunities (ERO) study--a demonstration and rigorous evaluation of two supplemental literacy programs that aim to improve the reading comprehension skills and school performance of struggling ninth-grade readers. focuses on the first of two cohorts of ninth-grade students who will…

Historically, one of the central concerns that has plagued the field of teacher education is the observation that "fragmentation" characterizes the experience of learning to teach. Too often, university-based teacher education programs consist of a set of disconnected individual courses; separate clinical work from coursework; and lack a vision of…

Alternative programs in special education are often developed in response to chronic personnel shortages. At issue, however, is the quality of alternative programs and their graduates. This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a large special education alternative certification program that adheres to both professional…

This paper explores the impact of a specially designed programme of communicative strategies on English second language (ESL) development in a scaffolded case study that set out to promote teacher-guided, constructive learner talk in the outcomes-based education arts and culture classroom. The programme was implemented in a multilingual secondary…

Consists of two articles that (1) suggest use of the Delphi method for eliciting the recommendations of experts on the content of a meaningful and timely course of study for education and training programs and (2) discuss the importance of linking training evaluation to the processes of design and implementation. (JOW)

The KinderSkills program, in which parents serve as motor development teachers of their children, has operated for five years. A recent innovation was to add grandparents to the program to see if the motor skill levels of the grandparents also would improve. This program is described and evaluated. (MT)

Describes the formation of a mentoring system for new extension agents in Ohio. Examines results of a followup study conducted 15 months after implementation of this system. Survey results indicate that most program results were met. A list of recommendations for similar programs is included. (CT)