Examines the effectiveness of the Adkins Life Skills Employabilities Series, a curriculum designed to help disadvantaged adults choose, find, get, and keep a job. Subjects were 350 New Jersey Learning Center students. Overall, evidence suggests program participants increased employability skills. (Author/CSS)

This discussion of the evaluation of teacher education programs starts with the assumption that the most effective teacher education programs are the ones that produce teachers who are most effective in producing desired changes in pupils. (MM)

Describes a comprehensive program developed on the basis that children can succeed academically when given appropriate resources and support early in life. Describes the philosophy and major elements of the program and reviews major findings from cross-site and longitudinal evaluations. Highlights recent research on factors regarding program…

A survey of 21 principals and 7 assistant principals in a large Canadian city examined their perceptions of the effectiveness of programs for at-risk students. In general, these administrators endorsed the effectiveness of community approaches to assisting at-risk students, and they felt that the focus of interventions needs to be broadened. (SLD)

The Southeastern Minority Trainer of Trainers program provides leadership training in three phases to African American community leaders in five southern states. Findings of little leadership change in Phase 1 and Phase 2 survey evaluations for three states were in contrast to results of focus groups at the conclusion of Phase 2 capstone…

Reviews six federally funded in-kind public assistance programs designed to mitigate effects of poverty on children: (1) food stamps; (2) the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children; (3) school nutrition programs; (4) Medicaid; (5) Head Start; and (6) housing assistance. Evidence indicates these programs achieve their…

The University of Oregon's financial aid director describes the success of the Federal Direct Student Loan program in its first year at the institution. No significant program disadvantages were experienced, and its advantages included flexibility of administration, ease of data management with the servicer, decrease in office workload, and…

Argues that national intervention endeavors should contain evaluation requirements that are sufficiently flexible to allow a range of rigorous evaluation designs. Uses the recent America Reads Challenge and research and evaluation efforts conducted independently at three university sites to illustrate the possibilities and pitfalls in engaging in…

An independent analysis of the database for the Infant Health and Development Program, an intervention of home visits, parent meetings, and preschool education designed to prevent mental retardation in children, suggests that the program has not, as supporters have claimed, had meaningful and lasting effects on children's IQs. (SLD)

A grade five through grade eight substance abuse prevention program was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Students received either two years of the program or none. At the end of grade seven, program students' rates of substance use slowed significantly and knowledge of alcohol pressures increased compared to non-program students. (RJM)

A meta-analysis of nine studies on psychotherapy with persons who have mental retardation found a wide range of research designs, types of interventions, and participants. The evaluation also pointed to a moderate degree of change in outcome measure and moderate effectiveness in terms of benefit to clients with mental retardation. (Contains…

An evaluation of a Vietnamese program to include children with disabilities in preschools found it had a positive effect on the lives of the children and increased community awareness of issues related to children with disabilities. The need for in-depth teacher training and implementation of individualized education services is discussed.…

Details evaluation of the West Virginia site of a federally-funded program to maintain early achievement gains viewed as crucial in alleviating poverty-linked social distress. Notes that the Post-Head Start Transition evaluation showed no achievement gains. Asserts that findings provide no support for a general policy of early and continuing…

A statistical model is presented for evaluating the effectiveness of the Demerit Points System of Victoria (Australia) in reducing traffic offenses. Estimates of the mean waiting time between offenses were made by maximum likelihood methods. Empirical results with 46,982 drivers--participants in a Driver Improvement Program--support the system's…

This article discusses health fraud in special education. Psychopathology of health fraud, standards by which pseudoscience and quackery are defined, and the complexities of learning disorders are considered. A scale to determine whether an alternative therapy is reasonable is presented. Several popular therapies are used as examples. (Author/PB)