Origins of Australia's university quality improvement program are outlined, and its design is examined. Issues discussed include implications of the program for individual institutions, its proposed method of redistributing research funds, and potential problems associated with performance appraisal. (MSE)

An approach to program assessment taken by one bachelor's in social work (BSW) program involved evaluation of the collective work of randomly chosen seniors on three assignments. Results revealed strengths and weaknesses of the program and led to reexamination of assignments, statements of desired program outcomes, and curriculum changes.…

Examines 20 systematic SBM studies for insights about authority delegation, fiscal inputs, objectives, and student outcomes. SBM's effects on achievement were mixed. Nine studies gave no results; three asserted positive results but gave no achievement data; one asserted negative results but gave no achievement data; two with achievement data…

A micro-finance analysis of site-based at-risk per pupil costs conducted at a Texas urban high school with high minority student enrollment revealed that 68 percent of the students exhibited state-defined, at-risk variables and that the highest program cost produced the highest achievement. (SLD)

Presents the results of an evaluation, using the Adult Career Concerns Inventory, of a transition counseling program aiming to facilitate the interaction of young people according to four central "person-environment" modes, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of the six vocational personality types and occupational and…

An unacceptably high first-grade retention rate prompted a study of the early childhood program in the District of Columbia Public Schools, because the system had invested heavily in the program with little success. This report summarizes how the study began, what the study has revealed, and how this research is transforming a major urban school…

Explores Chicanos' educational conditions and related outcomes from elementary school through college. Examines the theoretical models used to explain Chicanos' low achievement and educational attainment. Investigates the Effective Schools and Accelerated Schools intervention models and adapts them for use with Chicano students. This research…

The change process was examined in a community college in which there was evidence of events precipitating change, including leadership succession, new management/governance structures, proposed cultural shifts, and a period of rapid growth. The case illustrates that not all organizational change is positive, and that those promoting change should…

Examined the functioning of admissions policies based on criteria of social need at two community nurseries providing integrated education, health, and social services, and two traditional nursery schools in the Strathclyde region of Scotland. Found that the community nurseries were more successful in admitting children from families with defined…

Describes a comparative progress analysis of the formulation and implementation of aims and objectives in two traditional nursery schools and two community nurseries providing integrated education, health, and social services, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland. Found that the traditional nursery schools were better organized and more…

Estimates of program effects from a compensatory preschool intervention were investigated using econometric simultaneous modeling, latent variable structured modeling, and ordinary least squares regression. Data for 806 black children indicated that different quasi-experimental estimation methods that attempt to control for selection bias can…

Reports on the effectiveness of a teacher development project in promoting implementation of a comprehensive school health education curriculum among urban elementary teachers. Data collected throughout the project period at five schools indicated that teacher development efforts, including training and ongoing reinforcement to increase teachers'…

Four articles discuss the recruitment and use of volunteer workers in junior and senior high school libraries. Topics addressed include written policies; communicating ideas with the staff; program flexibility; volunteer program evaluation; scheduling; Friends of Libraries groups; and the use of volunteers for booktalks. (LRW)

As departmental program review becomes more common in college resource reallocation, department heads will be key figures in decision making. They must know what evaluation criteria will be used, such as program role in institutional mission, enrollment or credit-hour production, job-market demand, external support, program quality, and…

Proposes a model to enable programs in applied or professional psychology to clarify and refine their missions through the curricula they generate. A case example illustrates the model's application in acceptance and implementation of recommended curriculum changes in Rutgers University's Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology.…