The study evaluates an easily-administered test-anxiety reduction program. An entire fifth grade was screened, and 36 students identified as test-anxious were randomly assigned to an Intervention or a non-participant Control group. The intervention was an accelerated desensitization and adaptive attitudes (ADAA) treatment which involved…

This collection of papers presents a representative selection of the National Institute of Justice's portfolio of gang-related research. The 10 papers are: (1) "A Decade of Gang Research: Findings of the National Institute of Justice Gang Portfolio" (Scott H. Decker); (2) "The Evolution of Street Gangs: An Examination of Form and…

The primary goal of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is to provide nutritious meals to children in low-income areas when school is not in session. This report presents the findings of the SFSP Implementation Study, a descriptive study of the operations of the SFSP at the state and local levels and how SFSP staff feel the program could be…

During adolescence, peers emerge as the most significant social network, supplanting former strong ties to parents, teachers, and other adults. As adolescents seek to define their identities, they increasingly turn to and spend time with their peers. Peer-based prevention programs are designed to capitalize on these peer relationships by building…

Under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation, 22 urban school districts have been involved in a long-term educational reform through the Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) program since 1994. This paper presents a brief summary of findings regarding best policies and practices in the educational reform effort focusing on student…

The purpose of this report is to inform users and other interested parties about the development, content and technical characteristics of the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments. It provides information for the 2003 "SOL" cycle that comprises the fall 2003 and spring 2004 administrations. The report is divided into three…

Scratch the surface of any successful organization and readers will likely find systems designed to evaluate how well it runs. The approach to evaluation presented in this book can be applied in a variety of contexts, but the focus here is on the evaluation of leadership development initiatives. Effective evaluations keep leadership development…

In 2001, the Tennessee Department of Education identified underperforming schools from across the state as Corrective Action schools. Corrective Action schools are among those that failed to meet federal and state guidelines for adequate yearly progress (AYP). The present study was conducted to examine the key features of 9 Corrective Action…

Based on an ancient Chinese saying that "near vermillion, you turn red; near sepia, you turn black", when gifted students are grouped together, a vermillion (reddening) effect may result from assimilation. In contrast, when gifted students are grouped with non-gifted students, a sepia (blackening) effect may operate. However, recent theories have…

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of the "Fear and Loathing of Speaking Out in Public" program. The program, a personal initiative, adapts primary features of the treatment offered by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for clients suffering from fears and phobias. CBT strategies include progressive desensitization, identifying…

This study investigated the relationship between the scales used for the NDSA assessments and the RIT scales used to report performance on Northwest Evaluation Association tests. The study estimated the changes in reading and mathematics RIT score equivalents for the NDSA performance levels in those subjects. Test records for more than 9,000…

This study investigated the relationship between the scales used for the WASL assessments and the RIT scales used to report performance on Northwest Evaluation Association tests. The study estimated the changes in reading and mathematics RIT score equivalents for the WASL performance levels in those subjects. Test records for more than 12,000…

To determine the effectiveness of a graduate educational assessment course in measurement processes, this study compared test scores from the beginning and from the end of the course. The three sections that were the focus of the study were offered in 2002 and 2003 by the same instructor. The course was offered as a traditional face-to-face class…

The Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program was launched in 1993 to develop new models of doctoral preparation for a faculty career by including preparation for teaching and academic citizenship as well as for research. Through national competitions, grants have been awarded to 43 doctoral producing universities to develop and implement model…

The most widely used school-based substance abuse prevention program in the United States is the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, which is funded by a variety of sources, including private, federal, and other public entities. DAREs primary mission is to provide children with the information and skills they need to live drug- and…