This paper reviews the development of infant schools, day nurseries, kindergarten, nursery schools, and Head Start, and discusses the implications of these services for present-day policy. The philosophy and pedagogy of infant schools, their origins, and their development in North America, are described. Also discussed are the origins of day…

This is an overview of an evaluation model developed to be used with the Faculty Development Program in Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse clinical training program for professional school faculty in medicine, nursing and social work. The evaluation model is in two major parts, a national evaluation which examines program process and outcome across all…

The question of how standardized tests can be better developed to improve educational program evaluation is probed in this paper. After the first section's brief introduction, section 2 explores the thesis that tests developed in terms of selection and inference may not serve current social functions of educational testing. To clarify this thesis,…

As part of a larger evaluation of the Individually Guided Education (IGE) system in Wisconsin elementary schools, a comparative study was conducted of the effectiveness of reading instruction and the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development (WDRSD) program in IGE and non-IGE settings. Data on students in grades five and two in 11 different…

A careful review of the literature and an examination of desegregation programs in Los Angeles, show that the claim that voluntary programs produce almost no desegregation, and certainly less than mandatory programs, is open to question. Most comparisons between voluntary and mandatory programs have been between cities and have not taken into…

This guidebook shows how school district personnel from many areas--curriculum, instruction, supervision, staff development--can coordinate their activities to focus on instructional improvement. It reveals how data derived from tests, when properly used, can be useful in helping district personnel work with school and community people to assess…

The processes of innovation and change at Michigan State University are considered with respect to the Educational Development Program (EDP). EDP refers to innovative programs and organizational changes in undergraduate instruction during 1964-1980. Throughout its existence, the EDP underwent many iterations to make it more acceptable to a…

A large scale evaluation of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Public Schools in-service training program for teachers was conducted in 1981. Approximately 1300 teachers were surveyed and over 30 school principals were interviewed. Overall, the data show considerable interest in continued training among teachers of all ages and experience levels.…

This practicum addressed the expressed need to help teachers become familiar with the writing process and to provide the staff with ways to incorporate more writing (composition) into their elementary (K-5) classrooms. The objectives included educating the teachers in the writing process so they could feel more comfortable in teaching the new…

In the past 5 years educational institutions in North America have begun to incorporate audiographic conferencing technology into their distance education programs. The use of audiographic conferencing is escalating rapidly since this technology offers the potential of serving distant students at a reasonable cost without requiring instructors to…

To assist Congress in preparing for the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) examined the technical feasibility and utility of instituting specific requirements for performance measurement of secondary school vocational programs. The OTA examined two types of performance…

Evaluation of adult literacy programs requires different criteria from those used to judge regular schooling. Indicators for evaluating adult voluntary programs with individualized curricula are recruitment; retention, including absenteeism; one-on-one tutoring with volunteers; training in a context; support services; the "quick-fix" syndrome;…

This volume is a definitive guide to what is known about the preparation of teachers, induction into the tasks of teaching, and career teacher development. It is designed for educators responsible for preservice teacher education and inservice staff development. The articles are organized in nine sections under the following heads: (1) Teacher…

This report discusses in detail the 1988-89 evaluation study developed by the University of California at Los Angeles Center for Technology Assessment and the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) administration for the purpose of determining the impact of the ACOT project on students, teachers, and parents. Both student achievement in writing and…

A major purpose of this study was to establish and test a procedure for evaluating drug education curricula that allows for a more objective view of the effectiveness of drug education materials and the instructional delivery system. A major focus of the study was to determine the extent to which the Discover Curriculum affected student outcomes.…