Indicates that performance-based education (PBTE) falls short of its promises because of fundamental flaws. States that PBTE does not capture the complexity of teaching, is behavioristic, and lacks a research base. (JOW)

Discusses the meaning of change, purposes and models for measuring it, matching models to purposes and types of data, and using more than one model to measure change. Twenty-one references are listed. (Author/MBR)

Determined a prisoner-run delinquency prevention program's effectiveness in the prevention of delinquency in previously arrested youths. Found that the program had no effect on the delinquent behavior of females. Males who attended the program, however, were arrested at a significantly higher rate than counterparts who did not hear the prisoners'…

Examined how a spouse can help or hinder an individual who wants to stop smoking. An experienced helpfulness score was calculated from the responses of married subjects (N=46) in a smoking cessation program. Successful abstainers had partners who were more reinforcing and less punishing of the subjects' efforts. (JAC)

Jefferson County (Colorado), because of an elementary school science program and a junior high school applied program, was among the six school systems honored by the National Science Teachers Association for exemplary science programs. Specific characteristics of the Colorado programs, and those common to all successful science programs, are…

Evaluated delinquency prevention programs that include techniques for evaluating the self-esteem of juveniles. Significant changes in self-concept (as measured by the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale) and in the cognitive domain (as measured by the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test) were observed at two of five sites evaluated. (Author/HLM)

Reviews three conceptual models of depression: (1) aggression-turned-inward; (2) object-loss; and (3) negative cognitive set, and measured the effects of group treatment emphasizing running. The reactive depression levels of adults (N=8) who ran noncompetitively for 4 weeks dropped by a significant amount. The social dimension was an important…

A breastfeeding education program for low income women with a grade/high school education was developed. Reported are the effects of the program on the knowledge, attitudes, and infant feeding practices of a sample of pregnant women (N=44). Program consisted of five pamphlets mailed to subjects' homes over a five-week period. (JN)

An approach is outlined for beginning a teacher center: (1) do your homework; (2) generate interest in the center; (3) form a team--establish a teacher center board; and (4) plan a program of action. Five success factors to ensure the center's longevity are listed and a bibliography is included. (JMK)

Used monetary contracts to evaluate artificial incentives in weight reduction. Overweight men (N=89) were assigned to weight reduction treatment groups which varied by amount of deposit and type of contract. Results showed group contracts produced more weight loss than individual contracts. Amount of deposit was only weakly related to outcomes.…

Compared the separate and combined effects of behavior rehearsal and modeling on grooming skill development of mentally retarded women (N=48). All treatments were superior to the control condition. Modeling and behavior rehearsal were both effective but there was no advantage to combining them. Cost effectiveness favored the other-model procedure.…

Describes the Strategic Interaction Approach, which is built around the use of scenarios, rather than a grammar syllabus, and requires students to work through communication problems. Discusses its usefulness for short term courses aimed toward training professionals to gain working knowledge in specific fields. (EKN)

Discusses the pros and cons of the Dartmouth Intensive Language Model (DILM) and offers some advice on introducing such a program in any language. Concludes that DILM-trained students do learn to communicate more effectively than traditionally taught beginners. (EKN)

This article presents a method for disentangling the effects of an intervention from changes that are due to growth and regression to the mean. The method is illustrated in the context of evaluating the effect of the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on infant growth. (Author/LC)

Describes the history, philosophy, organization, referral process, and evaluation of ten secondary school programs that offered inschool alternatives to suspension. Suggests that program effectiveness was partly determined by: (1) administrators' acceptance of the program; (2) efficiency of the referral process; (3) program linkages with other…