THIS EVALUATION BY THE CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT TITLE I PROJECTS CAUTIONS ABOUT MAKING GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROJECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN IN OPERATION FOR ONLY A BRIEF PERIOD. THE REPORT NOTES, HOWEVER, THAT SUCH AN EVALUATION CAN BE USEFUL IN ESTABLISHING BASELINE DATA AND PROCEDURES FOR ENSUING YEARS, FOR LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE NEEDS OF DISADVANTAGED YOUTH AND TYPES OF APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS, AND FOR GATHERING DATA ABOUT PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS. THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HELPED THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN ADMINISTRATION, DATA DISSEMINATION, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES. A COMPARISON OF PRE- AND POSTTEST GAINS WITH SOME NORM WAS PART OF MOST EVALUATION DESIGNS. THE MAJOR PROBLEMS FOR THE PROJECTS WERE LACK OF SUFFICIENT TIME TO REVIEW PROPOSALS, THE COMPLICATIONS OF THE FUNDING PROVISIONS FOR THE HANDICAPPED, AND THE REDUPLICATION OF EVALUATION BY OUTSIDE AGENCIES. THERE WERE ALSO SOME DIFFICULTIES WITH INAPPROPRIATE PROJECT PROPOSALS, MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT TITLE I ON THE LOCAL LEVEL, AND RELATIONS WITH COMMUNITY ACTION GROUPS. COOPERATION BETWEEN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND WITH NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS WAS GOOD. INCLUDED IN THE REPORT ARE DATA ON OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT AND SECTIONS OF DETAILED COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS AND TABULAR DATA. (NH)