This paper describes the current state of research on Success for All, a program built around the idea that every child can and must succeed in the early grades. Success for All assumes that every child without organic retardation can read. Requirements for success include prevention and intensive early intervention. Success for All began in one…

To achieve accountability, evaluation is needed concerning: the nature, structure, organization, and implementation of school district/building guidance programs; the school counselors and other personnel who are implementing the programs; and the impact the programs are having on students, the schools where they learn, and the communities in…

This report evaluates the dissemination to rural communities in New Jersey of a program previously found to be successful in rural Appalachian communities. The report evaluates the collaboration process between Research for Better Schools (RBS), the New Jersey Rural Assistance Council (RAC), and Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL), who…

This study examined the impact of preschool education on the academic achievement of 100 third graders from May Community Academic Public School in Chicago, Illinois. The subjects were all minority students. A random sample of 30 students per group was selected from the 55 students who had received preschool education and the 45 who had not. The…

This Digest reviews the literature on the subject of teaching English and language arts to gifted and talented students. It discusses how to identify gifted students, outlines some key principles for developing effective programs in English and language arts for the gifted, and suggests possible methods of evaluating gifted students and programs.…

Evaluation data are reported from two examples of a comprehensive approach to urban school reform that attempted to involve the full range of stakeholders, including parents, in school reform. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation awarded grants to five urban school districts to improve middle schools by focusing on high expectations, high content,…

The third year of an ongoing research project to document and evaluate an innovative Japanese language program in grades K-5 (n=195) is reported. Two strands of research are examined. The first deals with school and community ambiance, and attempts to capture in a systematic way the attitudes and perceptions of parents, teachers, and students in…

Education in contemporary society is no longer the selective enterprise for which a product evaluation approach is appropriate. Process evaluation, however, complements a new view of education--education offers all students opportunities for individual growth. A process approach focuses on what is understood. Focusing on learning activity and…

This paper describes the first venture of the author (a professor at Kentucky's Morehead State University) into the world of distance learning technology, specifically interactive television. Highlights include the one-way video classroom; multimedia development; compressed video classroom; and use of listservs. An informal evaluation of the…

This paper summarizes a study undertaken to evaluate the impact of middle-level schooling upon student achievement and to provide information useful to the improvement of early adolescent education. The study drew on the following two theoretical perspectives: (1) middle level theory, which advocates organizing students and teachers and modifying…

Each of the four issues of this newsletter published in 1993 consists of one article dealing with a particular policy debate. Number 1, "Canadian Special Education Policies: Children with Learning Disabilities in a Bilingual and Multicultural Society" (Linda S. Siegel and Judith Wiener), discusses social and cultural factors affecting…

This manual provides training information for implementing supported employment by using a customer-driven approach. Chapter 1, "Supported Employment: A Customer-Driven Approach" (Valerie Brooke and others), describes current best practices, a new customer-driven approach to supported employment, and the role of the employment specialist. Chapter…

Summaries are presented of papers from a symposium entitled "The Evaluation of Complex Programs Using Participatory Evaluation" that focused on a comprehensive school service program in a south Texas alternative high school. "Theoretical Framework and Objectives" explores the problems of evaluating such programs. Problems…

Title I, the largest federal aid program for elementary, middle, and high schools, is introduced in this publication, which includes both English and Spanish versions. Through Title I, the Federal government gives money to school districts around the country based on the number of low-income families in each district. Each district uses Title I…

Program evaluation can be understood as the process of looking at how all aspects of a program or department have been functioning as the basis for informed planning and decision making. Although the objective dimensions used in evaluations can vary, methodologies can be categorized according to the four category framework (i.e., describing…