Assistive technology (AT) supports engagement for individuals with disabilities by improving independence in daily living tasks, work and productive activities, learning activities, and societal participation. However, for many individuals, access to AT is limited due to high costs, device availability, and inability to be customized. The Maker…

Professionals in various fields have the opportunity to train in real-life situations before they take on a job by themselves. In program evaluation, however, preservice training usually focuses on coursework oriented to research design and methods. After completing these studies, evaluators go off to conduct evaluations guided primarily by their…

In the current climate of high stakes testing and tough love rhetoric, many educational stakeholders have become increasingly reliant on standardized test scores to determine whether or not individual students, teachers, and schools--and even entire districts and states--are successful. In contrast to the black and white picture that test-driven…

The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is a bold effort to create a network of charter schools designed to transform and improve the educational opportunities available to low/income families. KIPP schools seek to actively engage students and parents in the educational process, expand the time and effort students devote to their studies, reinforce…

Describes innovations in the mentoring process at Quinsigamond Community College (Massachusetts). The author presents a description of the program, its philosophy, the mentor/protege relationship, and an evaluation. Included are suggested activities for mentors to follow in building, developing, and expanding the mentoring relationship. (GR)

This report describes a study of one-year educational innovation projects funded under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Focus of the study was not on the content of the projects but on how they were conducted, with particular emphasis on the role of the project directors. Data for the study were gathered through…

This report, the second of three prepared for the Massachusetts Department of Education, focuses on a formative evaluation which identifies descrepancies between innovative Title IV-C educational programs as planned and as the programs operated. Contents are organized in five main chapters each of which represents a different perspective but all…

This study describes models of diffusion that combine the efforts of a State agency with the efforts of local school systems to effect change and examines the most recent research on innovation adoption. It provides a paradigm that describes the following elements: (1) the optimum installation process for an innovation, (2) the kinds of school…

This report was prepared at the request of the Higher Education Facilities Commission in order to provide background, a progress report, and recommendations for further action to those interested in the Massachusetts programs of continuing education and community service funded under Title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Among the materials…

Findings of the one-year evaluation of Massachusetts Title III, Elementary and Secondary Education Act innovative projects covering the period from July, 1975 through June, 1976 are outlined in this summary. The formative stages of evaluation are viewed from two perspectives: project strategy designs and project directors' change processes. The…

THIS REPORT ASSESSES TITLE I COMPENSATORY EDUCATION PROJECTS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH IN MASSACHUSETTS. THE PROJECTS ARE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF ADMINISTRATIVE SUPERVISORY SERVICES, PLANS FOR EVALUATION AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION, PROBLEM AREAS, COORDINATION WITH COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS, INTERRELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER TITLES OF THE ELEMENTARY AND…

An evaluation (involving questionnaires, telephone interviews, focus groups, site visits, e-mail questions, and lab observation) assessed the success in implementing a statewide technology plan for adult literacy programs in Massachusetts that grew out of a set of recommendations developed by the Massachusetts Adult Literacy Technology Team…

PRESENT PROCEDURES AND INNOVATIONS RESULTING FROM TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES WERE EXAMINED IN TWO REPRESENTATIVE SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO HELP OTHER SCHOOLS, BOARDS, AND FACULTIES FACING COMPARABLE PROBLEMS. THE STUDY FOCUSED ON MANPOWER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY, THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF OF THE SCHOOLS, THE RECEPTIVITY…

Twenty-four local projects which are intended to serve as sources of ideas for professional group action are described in this pamphlet. The projects are reported within the framework of four areas of improving teaching. Under "professional development" projects are portrayed concerning the use of student tutors and the improvement of…