This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the National Board Certification Pilot Project in Iowa. Initiated in 1998, the Project provides monetary incentives for teacher certification, reimbursement for registration fees, and a support program for teachers pursuing certification. The effects of this program on teachers professional…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach (GPTTO) and Gang Intervention Through Targeted Outreach (GITTO) initiatives of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The study examined whether the clubs were attracting youth at high risk of gang involvement, whether clubs could keep GPTTO and GITTO youth…

Bills passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in spring 2001 to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reinforce and strengthen the education accountability provisions contained in the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) of 1994. This paper evaluates the accountability provisions in this…

This resource guide describes approaches to evaluating the mediation of special education conflicts, especially the use of participant questionnaires in evaluating mediation programs. Section 1 establishes the evaluation context and lists 10 action steps in the design and implementation of an evaluation plan. Section 2 addresses issues for…

Project Change is a community-driven anti-racism initiative operating in four communities: Albuquerque, New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Valdosta, Georgia. The formative evaluation of Project Change began in 1994 when all of the sites were still in planning or early action phases. Findings from the summative evaluation will be…

In response to federal welfare reform legislation, Arkansas created the Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) program in April 1997. The goal of this Kids Count report is to increase awareness regarding issues underlying the early implementation of TEA, focusing on caseload reductions, demographic composition of the caseload, level of support…

In response to trends toward greater accountability expectations for educational programs, a study evaluated the success of the implementation of Ohio's Individual Career Plan (ICP). The ICP is a document initiated by students no later than grade 8 that helps to outline initial career goals and educational plans to reach those goals. A core…

This document is comprised of six technical reports detailing the methods and findings of the first major study in the United Kingdom to focus on the effectiveness of early years education. The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education Project (EPPE) studies the progress and development of 3,000 children in various types of preschool and…

This paper describes a tool-and-result methodological approach to the practice and evaluation of an urban community development and gardening project with homeless youth. Over 9 months, at least 40 homeless children and teenagers were involved in the program, and approximately 15 were core participants. The paper critically examines the role of…

This document summarizes important findings from the last five follow-up studies of career program completers (Class of 1993-94 to Class of 1997-98) conducted at Kansas' Johnson County Community College (JCCC). Major findings are reported on enrollments, profile of students in spring 1998 career program classes, completions, respondents to…

The Phoenix Early Head Start (EHS) program is a family-centered program intended to provide early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive child development and family support services for first-time teen parents and their very young children. This report presents case studies of 12 families, all EHS participants, who agreed to be followed…

This paper discusses problems with the theoretical basis and conditions for implementing the quality insurance model for engineering programs. An analysis of a program of development and educational quality implemented in the Engineering Faculty of the National University of Lomas de Zamora in Argentina is presented. The minimum conditions are…

This report provides an evaluation of the academic impact of afterschool programs. Although afterschool programs for children have been operating for many years in some communities, the afterschool movement is just a few years old. As public demand for afterschool has grown, so has the demand for accountability. That is particularly true in…

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that nearly 20 million Americans suffer from asthma, 6.3 million of which are children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004). It is not merely an annoyance disease, as is commonly believed. Asthma kills. It takes more than 5,000 American lives each year (Asthma Statistics in America,…

A cost/benefit study of fourteen area vocational technical schools in Kansas was conducted to assess payback periods and long run accrued benefits for vocational programs using an analysis model devised for this study. The majority of programs studied were economically successful but were highly succeptible to placement rates. (DS)