Treatment fidelity refers to the extent to which an intervention is implemented as planned. If researchers do not assess and report treatment fidelity, or if treatment fidelity is shown to be low, findings from intervention studies are difficult to interpret, because the intervention may not have been implemented as planned. In this article, our…

This article introduces the special topic issue "Educational and Psychological Consultation within Community-University Partnerships." The special issue provides a forum for scholars and readers to consider consultation as a powerful and practical tool that can be used in community-university partnerships (CUPs). In this article, we will…

The authors have researched, designed, and engaged in leadership coaching for many years, from many angles and across many district contexts. They have been struck by how rare it is to see a leadership coaching model that clearly aligns with and supports district priorities. To help change that pattern, the authors have distilled the lessons they…

A recent independent evaluation by WestEd of Learning Forward's What Matters Now Network looked at the ways in which a structured, facilitated network provided support for state-level coalitions working with districts, schools, and educators to improve instruction and make progress toward achieving content standards. The network was facilitated by…

This article provides engineering educators with a comprehensive overview of engineering leadership assessment and evaluation for undergraduate engineering students to help instigate positive change for the future of the field.

When it comes to engineering leadership program development, having a well-formulated plan with clear goals and objectives is paramount. Consider your programs to be works-in-progress and be prepared for potential challenges.

Assessments often fail to clearly answer whether a program "worked" or not. Here, I reflect on the broader purpose of assessment, and offer five questions to consider before undertaking an evaluation: Who are you trying to help? What is the intervention? How will you measure effects? Compared to What? and When will you measure effects?…

Jessel et al. ("Behavior Analysis & Practice," 13(1), 205-216, 2020a) conducted a review of the functional analysis literature between the years 1965 and 2016. The authors found an increasing trend in analyses replicating the components of Iwata et al. ("Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis," 27, 197-209, 1982/1994a) and…

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the quality of data from educational testing programs. These data were previously used for many important purposes ranging from placing students in instructional programs to school accountability. In this article, we draw from the research design literature to point out the limitations inherent in…

The current study explored how parents and their adolescent children describe parents' involvement in the adolescent's organized youth program. As part of a larger study of youth programs, 36 adolescent-parent dyads participated in semi-structured interviews. Youth (63.9% female) were 13-18 years old (M = 15.9, SD = 1.2) and ethnically diverse…

Energy efficiency is identified as a vital area for addressing sustainability challenges of our time. Governments throughout the world invest vast amounts of resources in research, for advancing knowledge on energy efficiency, and for fostering innovations that can support a transition towards a more sustainable energy system. Evaluation can be an…

Characteristics that contribute to successful redesign and launch of principal preparation programs may be understood collectively as the capacity of those programs. A model of capacity for redesign of principal preparation programs should strike a balance between the technical and professional aspects of teaching and leadership and the cultural…

The Center for Data Insights at MDRC has partnered with organizations to develop and execute a variety of data projects, some with long-standing partners that have participated in MDRC's long-term evaluations; others with newer partners that are just beginning to use data for program improvement. Important lessons about the essential ingredients…

Youth suicide rates have consistently risen over the past decade, and stigma related to mental health may create a barrier to young people seeking help. Schools are a common intercept point for mental health and suicide prevention programming. Hope Squad, a school-based, peer-to-peer, suicide prevention program, uses trained and mentored students…

International development volunteering is a potential route to returned volunteers' engagement in social action on development issues after placement. Using data from a two-stage qualitative study with returned Voluntary Services Overseas volunteers, and by considering the pre-conditions and motivations for social action, this article shows that…