A benefit-cost analysis of the first year of a statewide supported employment initiative involving 394 Illinois individuals with handicaps found that society received a $.75 return for every $1.00 invested, taxpayers received a return of $.66, and supported employees earned an average of 37 percent more in supported employment than in alternative…

Surveyed 37 child welfare workers who participated in a 2-day continuing education program on substance abuse. Found that, after they completed the program, the workers appeared to be more willing to work with their clients' addiction problems and had more confidence that they could make a difference in their clients' lives. (MDM)

Suggests that not everything in education has to be evaluated in terms of cognitive outcome measures. Describes a computer-mediated communication project that involved sixth-grade students in a private school in Montreal and slightly older students in a mainly Inuit town in the far northern part of Quebec. Discusses the actual benefits of the…

A standardized training valuation system (TVS) is built around a set of analytic tools and employs a four-step process: situation, intervention, impact, value. The methodology identifies specific, current, and potential values as well as value obtained. It also helps determine why a training program failed. (JOW)

Describes the Diversity News Program, which trains University of Washington journalism students to produce stories on higher education from a diversity perspective. Finds most diversity journalism was centered on race and ethnicity, thus overlooking other issues; background information about diversity themes was provided in the majority of…

Explores issues in evaluating exemplary programs, including the measurement of the degree to which the program is exemplary or promising. Suggests that comparison (control) group analysis can mislead researchers about the effectiveness of a program and suggests the use of gain scores to identify exemplary programs. (SLD)

Used a theory-driven approach to evaluate a gang crime reduction program over 7 years. Data for 237 repeat juvenile offenders admitted to the program indicate a strong relationship between incarceration and gang crime trends and an overall reduction of 47% in gang crime. Discusses implications of the approach for program evaluation. (SLD)

There is little uniformity in content and approach among courses and the research on entrepreneurship remains sparse. A conceptual framework for assessing entrepreneurship education should outline objectives and measures; possible contributions to the economy, business performance, and individuals, and pre- and post-program assessment measures.…

Describes an evaluation of an innovative site-based service program, the Growth and Achievement Program (GAP). Results show that GAP clients had significantly higher gain scores than did the comparison group and were less likely to rely on public financial assistance as their primary source of income. (RJM)

Opens with a brief discussion of the epidemiology of suicide among American Indians and Alaska natives. Next comes a critical review of selective suicide preventive intervention programs identified in the literature and considers methods used to evaluate each program. Discussion then shifts to practices and policies. Concludes with recommendations…

Argues that using recidivism as a measure of the effectiveness of prison education is politically necessary, theoretically appropriate, and methodologically practical. Describes the methodology of scientific realism, which attempts to answer why an educational approach works for some but not for others. (SK)

Agricultural communication units at land-grant universities (46 of 50) responding to a survey indicated that 2 institutions produced two-thirds of 937 videoconferences in 1993; 31 produced the other one-third. Most evaluate productions, but treat the results informally. Nonevaluators said assessment was not needed, not useful, or too difficult.…

Discusses the success of the school-to-work program and looks how various states have implemented the program. Suggests that school-to-work is very important and should remain a top priority at federal and state levels. (JOW)

Studied a program of small collaborative working groups that was offered students in a first-year accounting degree course and evaluated the program's effectiveness in helping 90 students with their studies. Identifies strengths of the program and points out areas that require further study, particularly with regard to program organization. (SLD)

Professional literature indicates that peer programs in the 1990s were widely used to address a variety of health education content. The literature shows a paucity of peer program evaluations. The increased focus of peer education programs illustrates the importance of conducting evaluations to establish whether these programs are cost effective,…